


In Another Time

by flannel_queer



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, F/F, end of the world AU, pearlmethyst - Freeform, roadtrip au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2016-10-01
Packaged: 2018-06-10 04:44:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6940285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flannel_queer/pseuds/flannel_queer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amethyst is a trucker who's hauling a load when everything goes to hell. She picks up a pretty gal in a bad way on the road out of town, and it doesn't take long for Amethyst to fall for her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Well, Shit

Well, this wasn’t how Amethyst had expected her afternoon to go.

 

She had pulled out of the truck stop at around 6am, still groggy from a long night of drinking. After that she had only stopped briefly at a diner to grab breakfast at around 10am before resuming her scheduled route. Traffic had been light up until she reached the outskirts of the city. It was around that time her radio fizzled out, right after she heard a bulletin advising travelers to be “aware of drastic weather patterns and unpredictable events” apparently occurring simultaneously around the country.

 

Now hordes of people were on the road flooding past her truck away from the city. The chorus of horns had been drowned out by the deafening sound of explosions and sirens coming from the buildings in the distance. People were beginning to leave their cars and join the mob rushing past, stretching far beyond the scope of her rearview mirror.

 

Grumbling, she ripped the radio from its cradle. “Yo, come in, anybody! What the fuck is going on out there?” She listened to the crackling device for a few moments. No response.

 

“Shit.” Amethyst slammed the receiver back. She fished the phone out of her pocket and dialed the shipping company, scanning the fast-moving crowd of people still streaming past her semi. Impatiently, she drummed her hands on the wheel, growing increasingly unsettled. “C’mon, pick up goddamn it,” she grumbled.

 

Suddenly the cell tower just visible beyond city skyline collapsed before her eyes, and the signal went dead.

 

“Fan-fuckin’-tastic,” she muttered under her breath. Hastily she shoved the phone back in her pocket and cranked the window down. A person was just rounding the side of her cab.

 

“Hey, buddy, what the hell’s goin’ on out here?” she yelled.

 

The poor guy looked like shit. He paused, though he looked like he’d much rather keep running for the hills.

 

“I -I don’t know. Everything’s going to hell. A tsunami took out Florida, most of the Midwest is being ripped apart by tornados, and apparently half of California got hit by an earthquake and sunk into the ocean -”

 

“What?!!”

 

He glanced around nervously. “Look, I gotta go. Watch your back. I don’t know what’s scarier, the world ending or the way people are reacting to it. Best to get out of here, and lay low.”

 

“But what the hell is -” but the guy had already taken off.

 

Amethyst sat back in the cab, considering for a moment. There were fewer people coming from the city now, but the stragglers looked decidedly less friendly. She noted a few had thrown on hoods and seemed to be carrying a variety of weapons. She was observing one who seemed to be checking the contents of the deserted cars several yards ahead of her, when a black SUV across the divider caught her eye.

 

“Well, that’s why we have liability insurance,” she grunted. Amethyst threw the semi in park, shutting off the engine. Almost as an afterthought, she rummaged under the seat, happening upon a tire iron. She weighed it in her hands briefly. “Nice.”

 

With a heave she shoved open the door. She was careful to skirt around the parked cars, hoping to avoid the attention of the approaching men. As soon as the nearest moved out of sight, she vaulted the divider, flung open door to the SUV, and slid inside.

 

Amethyst quickly scanned the backseat. The vehicle was empty. No way was she going down at the hands of some zombie-movie cliche. As she expected, the keys were still hanging in the ignition.

 

Tossing the tire iron in the passenger seat, she started the engine, pleased to find the tank was full. “Yea, that’s what I’m talking about!” she cheered.

 

Unfortunately, she had drawn the attention of the looters, who now were taking some interest in her actions. “Oh fuck no,” she growled, throwing the car into gear. She peeled out off the road onto the shoulder, flooring it in the opposite direction from the city.

 

She made sure to throw a few choice words from her extensive expletive vocabulary out the window,before she finally settled back in her seat, the looters quickly shrinking to nothing in her mirrors.

\--

 

Amethyst had a destination in mind. An old cabin she’d rented out for the past few years, whenever she got time off the hauling job to get away. It was by a lake where she could fish, and the place had its own generator and water pump. All she had to do was get enough gas and supplies and head up there, but the first part proved to be more difficult than she had expected.

 

The smaller towns she passed through seemed mostly deserted; she assumed the residents either had fled or were lying low. There weren’t many supplies there, certainly no tools or food. And on the road leading to the next city there seemed to be more and more looters breaking into cars and generally meandering menacingly the closer she got to the outskirts of the city. By the time Amethyst hit the city line, she decided to avoid it entirely.

 

Amethyst sighed and glanced out the window. It was already approaching sundown, and she wasn’t even halfway there. She rubbed a hand over her eyes tiredly. “Man, this is not how I thought today was gonna go.”

 

Suddenly, a commotion on the road up ahead caught her eye. A few men had surrounded a small white car, and seemed to be intent on bashing in one of the windows. She slowed down slightly. Something was off. _Why does it take five dudes to break into one car? What the hell are they surrounding it for anyway?_

 

She was only a few yards away, when the window finally shattered. Amethyst was about to shake off her suspicion and drive on until she heard a scream. _Oh my God there’s someone in there_. She squinted, still a fair distance away. The man who had been working on the window now dragged someone roughly out of the car. She was tall and thin, and though Amethyst couldn’t make out much more, she looked afraid. The man had a hold of the girl’s upper arm, and the others were gathering around him.

 

Amethyst gritted her teeth, toeing the gas the last few yards and slamming on the brake once she was adjacent to the group. She leapt across the seat, throwing open the passenger-side door.

 

“Get in.”

 

The girl looked around, a mixture of surprise and relief in her eyes. She turned and, to Amethyst’s surprise, swung her fist square into the man’s face. For a split second, he released her arm. The girl spun, hopped into the car, and slammed the door.

 

_Holy shit_. Amethyst shook off her momentary stupor as the other men instantly swarmed the car. She stomped on the gas, speeding away. It wasn’t long before they left the angrily yelling men far behind them.

 

“Thanks for picking me up,” the girl said, casting a warm look at Amethyst. Her voice was high and clear, like a bell. Amethyst liked the sound of it.

 

“S’no problem. Seems like you could have handled that on your own.”

 

“Maybe, but I didn’t like the odds,” she replied. “So thanks. You didn’t have to do that.”

 

Amethyst shrugged, shifting uncomfortably. “I didn’t like the way he was lookin’ at you.”

 

They were silent for a moment, and Amethyst took the opportunity to size up her new passenger. She was pale, her pinkish hair swept into a wave over her undercut. She was dressed in a white tanktop, dark green jeans and boots, not very different from Amethyst’s own blue jeans and boots, topped by a red flannel.

 

The girl smiled, catching the direction of her gaze. Amethyst blushed, but couldn’t look away from the girl's startlingly blue eyes.

 

“My name is Pearl, by the way. And yours?”

 

“Amethyst.” She glanced over. “So where were you headed, before Rambo and his gang of ugly creeps found you?”

 

Pearl laughed, and Amethyst smiled at the sound. The taller girl grew sober almost immediately, however. “Honestly, I don’t know,” she sighed. “I was hoping I’d stumble upon a place, but I didn’t make it very far before I ran out of gas. I was just trying to get out of the city. Things are out of control there.”

 

“So I heard. What are you doing here anyway?”

 

“I go to college not too far from where you found me.

 

They spoke for a few hours while they drove, Amethyst telling Pearl about her trucking experience and adventures while Pearl talked about her studies. She was a senior at the nearby university where she was head of the fencing team, and double majoring in engineering and history.

 

Amethyst scoffed. “Why didn’t you just do astrophysics, while you’re at it?”

 

“Oh I did for a while, but I switched my major to history. Too much overlap with engineering classes.”

 

Pearl burst out laughing at Amethyst’s slack-jawed look. “Oh! You were joking.” Amethyst grinned and laughed along. _This girl is incredible_.

 

“So," Pearl said. "What do you do?”

 

Amethyst shrugged. “Ah you know. I haul stuff. Makes good money, then I can do other shit. Hiking, camping, that sort of thing. I dunno, my schedule’s pretty full between barhopping and the occasional fishing trip. I do some wrestling on the side, nothing you’d’ve heard of, s’not exactly legal but it’s fun and brings in some extra cash.”

 

“Wrestling? Really?” Pearl cocked an eyebrow, interested.

 

“Don’t get any ideas, I saw that right hook. I’m not going anywhere near you in a ring.”


	2. Damn

A few hours passed as they drove on. There seemed to be an endless stream of deserted cars, and Amethyst found herself occasionally needing to pull off the road or drive onto the shoulder to avoid them. The few cities they passed were far and in between, and Amethyst elected to avoid driving directly through any of them. It used more gas - the needle was now halfway to empty - but she could sense Pearl relax whenever they cleared the cities’ limits.

 

Pearl was the next to break the silence. “So I never asked, where are you headed?”

 

Amethyst shrugged. “There’s this cabin I rent out sometimes. It’s quite a ways from here, but it’s got a lake and its own power. Plus it’s pretty far from anyone and anything, so we’ll be safe there.”

 

She immediately realized her slip-up. Heat rushed to her face as she fumbled to recover. “I mean - if you want to join me...if you got nowhere else to go, I don’t mind dropping you off somewhere if you prefer -”

 

Pearl rested a hand on Amethyst’s arm, stilling her protests. “I would love that, if you’ll have me.”

 

Amethyst blushed. “’Course,” she grunted. “No worries.” 

 

Pearl smiled, then turned to look out the window, drawing her hands into her lap as she did. Amethyst found herself missing the contact.

 

They traveled again in silence for a while. The sun had long ago dipped below the horizon, but now the sky had darkened to pitch black, only pin-pricked by stars. The moon wasn’t visible, and lent hardly any light to the deserted .

 

“We should pull over to sleep soon,” Pearl urged. “We can hide the car behind some trees. I’ll handle the driving tomorrow.”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Amethyst breezed. “I haul for a living, I can stand a night of driving. Especially if it gets us far away from whatever the hell is going on back there.”

 

Pearl pursed her lips, but she nodded. “You have a point. I don’t think I’ll rest easy until we’re somewhere relatively safe. If there is such a place anymore.”

 

Amethyst frowned at the longing in her voice. Without thinking, she reached for Pearl’s hand where it rested in her lap, intertwining the other girl’s long, pale fingers in her short brown ones. Pearl turned to look at her.

 

“Hey,” Amethyst said. “You’re safe with me.” She wanted it so badly to be true. Pearl didn’t reply, only smiled. But when Amethyst moved to draw her hand back, Pearl held on.

 

\--

 

They drove throughout the night, only stopping once or twice to pee or stretch. Pearl dozed for most of the time; the first time she awoke, she found Amethyst’s flannel draped over her. 

 

They passed fewer and fewer towns, and the road seemed to be increasingly barren of abandoned vehicles. Pearl had no idea where they were going, but it seemed remote. Finally, as the horizon began to lighten to a washed-out gray, Pearl sat up and stretched. All her muscles were sore, and she was starving.

 

“How you doing, darlin’?” Amethyst drawled affectionately.

 

Pearl groaned. “Sore, but alive. I can’t imagine how tired you must be though. Let me take over the driving for a while.”

 

Amethyst shrugged but pulled over. They had hardly gotten back on the road again when Amethyst’s stomach let out growl.

 

Pearl frowned. “We’re not going any further until we get you some food,” she said decisively, ignoring Amethyst’s attempts to protest. 

 

“Besides,” Pearl continued, tapping the needle on the gas gauge. “We’re going to need more gas if we don’t want to end up stalled somewhere. I’m stopping at the next town we see.” 

 

Her tone left no room for argument. They drove for a little under an hour, until a ramshackle sign announced a town coming up in the next mile. Pearl pulled off the highway onto a rough, pothole-strewn street. There were only a few empty-looking houses on the side of the road, and as they entered the town proper, Pearl took note of the burnt-out streetlights and piles of trash blown up against the darkened buildings. 

 

“Huh. Looks like a ghost town,” Amethyst muttered as Pearl pulled up next to a gas pump in front of a dingy 7-11.

 

“All the better for us,” she replied, hopping out of the car. “I’ll fill up the SUV and watch the car. You go inside and grab as much food as you can.”

 

“Gotcha.”

 

Pearl scanned the area as she put the nozzle in the tank. It seemed quiet enough, but the place still made her uneasy. From where she was standing an old dentist’s office, a post office, and a pharmacy were visible, all seemingly deserted. She squinted past the immediate buildings, trying to detect any signs of life. 

 

“Whatcha lookin’ at?”

 

Pearl was so engrossed in her search, she hadn’t noticed someone come up behind her. Relief flooded through her as she turned to find the Amethyst appraising her, arms full of chip bags and other gas station amenities.

 

“Oh, thank heavens Amethyst it’s you,” she sighed, placing a hand carelessly on the short butch’s head.

 

“Yeah sorry Ellen Degeneres couldn’t make it, guess you’re stuck with me,” the brown girl quipped. Pearl couldn’t help but laugh at that.

 

“So,” Amethyst said as she wrenched open the trunk, tossing her prizes into a growing pile in the back. “This place gives you the creeps too?” She tossed a few fallen items in the back as well and slammed the hatch.

 

“Yes,” Pearl admitted. She shook her head. “We should get back on the road. The tank should be full by now.”

 

“All right, but first let’s hit the pharmacy, then the grocery store, and the hardware store if they have one,” Amethyst said, sliding into the passenger seat. “We need medicine, food that’ll keep, and gear. There’s some stuff already up there, but it might be a long stay.”

 

“I suppose you’re right,” Pearl murmured. Her eyes were fixed on the dentist’s office. Had she seen someone moving inside? “Fine. Let’s just get going.”

 

“Yeah okay.”

 

\--

 

They grabbed what they could from the pharmacy, then coasted up and down the nearby streets in search of a grocery store. They located it in no time; now Amethyst watched the car while Pearl went inside. The place was small and cramped, and to Pearl’s dismay she discovered a great deal of the shelves had been cleared out already. She made several trips back and forth to load up the SUV, growing more uneasy with each one. 

 

On the last run she paused in the middle of shoveling dry goods into her arms. She could have sworn she had heard footsteps. She froze, listening carefully. The sound of her heart pounding in her ears made it hard to concentrate. Suddenly, a can clattered to the ground several aisles away. She bolted out of the store, almost tripping on her way out of the sliding doors.

 

Amethyst caught her before she could fall. “What happened? Are you okay?” The shorter girl’s brown eyes were full of concern.

 

Pearl shook her head, pulling Amethyst to the car. No sooner had they gotten in than two men emerged from the entrance. One had a shotgun casually slung over his shoulder, while the other was carrying one in his hand, hanging at his side.

 

“Hey! The fuck are you doing, get the hell outta here!” The first man brandished his gun threateningly.

 

“Oh fuck that,” Amethyst muttered, twisting the key in the ignition and pounding on the gas. The SUV lurched from the curb. Amethyst sped through the parking lot and swung out onto the main road. It wasn’t until they rounded a corner out of sight than Pearl let out a sigh of relief.

 

“Thank God we’re out of there.”

 

Amethyst reached for her hand, running her thumb over it soothingly. Pearl squeezed back gratefully.

 

“Who were those guys?”

 

Pearl’s eyes flicked to the rear view. “I believe they’re residents of the town. They probably thought we were stealing their food. Well,” Pearl corrected herself. “We  _ were _ stealing their food.”

 

Amethyst snorted. “They had mor’n enough. No reason for them to come after you like that.” Pearl didn’t respond, focusing all her attention on Amethyst’s hand resting on hers. It was warm and comforting.

 

“I hate to say it, but we can’t leave just yet,” Amethyst said slowly. “We’re not going to make it very long without camping gear. Flashlights, matches, gas, some tools. The cabin has some stuff already, but not everything. We should grab what we can just to be safe. I wouldn’t mind having a few more weapons too, in case we meet the likes of them again.”

 

Pearl pursed her lips. She hated the idea, but had to admit Amethyst was right. She took a deep breath, running through plans in her mind.

 

“Okay. I’m pretty sure we passed the hardware store a little ways back. We’ll take the main road out of town. They’ll assume we left, and then we can loop back. If we keep off the road, and approach the store from the opposite direction, we can be in and out before they find us.”

 

Amethyst grinned, swinging the vehicle around and driving wide into the high grass off the side of the road. “Let’s do it.”

 

\--

 

They pulled up to the front of the store without incident; the two men were nowhere in sight. By unspoken agreement, they both went inside, although Amethyst was sure to leave the engine running. Pearl loitered behind a display in the front window to keep an eye on the car -  _ and it wouldn’t hurt to keep an eye on Amethyst _ , she admitted to herself - while the butch girl stole through the aisles stealthily, returning now and again to deposit various tools and supply into Pearl’s arms.

 

When they had all they could carry, they rushed back to the car, throwing their spoils in the backseat. They were already seated and Pearl was pulling away when Amethyst suddenly cussed violently under her breath.

 

“What is it?”

 

“We still need gas,” Amethyst grumbled, throwing open her door.

 

“Amethyst -”

 

“We can’t go without it, I’ll just run in and -”

 

“No, Amethyst, look!” The panic in Pearl’s voice made Amethyst turn around.

 

Groups of people were approaching, marching down each of the adjoining streets leading into town. Most were carrying some variety of weapons - baseball bats, rifles, even axes and sharpened sticks.

 

“They’re not just a few disgruntled citizens. This is a militia,” Pearl murmured. “They’re ready to kill us.”

 

“They gotta catch me first.”

 

Pearl whirled around. Amethyst was already out of the car and running towards the store. Pearl felt her heart drop. “Amethyst, what are you doing?” she yelled.

 

“Just pull around back and meet me!” Amethyst called over her shoulder before she disappeared through the doors.

 

Pearl’s palms were sweating so badly she could hardly hold onto the steering wheel. Her heart in her throat, she stepped on the gas, barely missing the first of the mob to reach her car. Something smashed the back window as she pulled away, making her flinch, but she didn’t slow down.

 

Bouncing over the parking blocks, she waited until all four wheels were on the ground before she wrenched the wheel hard, whipping the car around the side of the building. She pulled up to the back door, slamming on the brakes, just as a shot rang out.

 

“Amethyst!” she screamed, clenching the wheel.

 

A shadow appeared behind the pane glass of the back door. She could feel tears of relief bite at the corners of her eyes as a familiar dark, tangled mane of hair came into view, and the flannel-clad girl emerged. Pearl threw open the door as Amethyst clambered in, the mob already rounding the building.

 

“Drive,” she grunted.

  
Pearl didn’t need to be told twice. She slammed on the gas hard enough to make the wheels spin, leaving the militia in a cloud of burnt rubber.


	3. Fuck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The slow burn accelerates.

Pearl let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding as she turned back on to the main road.

 

“I can’t believe we made it out of there alive,” Pearl said, relief in her voice. “Amethyst, what on Earth were you  _ thinking _ ?”

 

She looked over at her partner. Immediately, she registered something was wrong. Amethyst’s eyes were screwed shut, jaw clenched. A sheen of sweat covered her face.

 

“Oh my God, Amethyst, what happened?” Pearl’s eyes flew to the girl’s right arm, which she was cradling awkwardly, a stain darkening the sleeve of her flannel.

 

“ _ Amethyst did you get shot?! _ ” Pearl screeched. She nearly flipped the SUV in her haste to pull off the road. At this, Amethyst roused herself enough to respond.

 

“No, don’t stop.  _ Fuck _ . I’m fine,” she muttered through gritted teeth. “We gotta get away from there. Jus’ - jus’ keep going.”

 

“ _ Are you out of your fucking mind?! _ ”

 

“It only grazed me. Jus’ go a little farther. Get us a few miles out, at least,” she grunted. “Then I’ll take care of it.”

 

Pearl wanted to argue, but all she cared about was tending to Amethyst. She held back her retort, and instead let out a string of expletives as she swung the car back onto the road. Paying no attention to the speedometer, she pushed the gas pedal down until the surrounding landscape was rushing by.

 

“Damn, NASCAR’s got nothing on you,” Amethyst joked weakly. “What are we doin’ anyways? 90?”

 

Pearl ignored the question. “Are you okay? How much does it hurt? Put pressure on it to stem the bleeding.”

 

“Yes. Like a papercut. Okay, mom.”

 

Pearl looked over exasperatedly, but the grimace on her friend’s face made her bite back a response. She toed the gas pedal harder, cursing as the needle trembled at 120 and stalled.

 

“Whoa, I didn’t know you could cuss or drive like this. I gotta say I’m impressed,” Amethyst needled.

 

Pearl knew Amethyst was just trying to distract her, but lighthearted banter was the last thing on her mind. She decelerated, pulling the car off the road and parking it behind a stand of trees.

 

“There. We’re ten miles out and hidden from sight. Roll up your sleeve and let me take a look.”

 

Amethyst groaned as she shrugged off her shirt. She peeled off the fabric, revealing a bloody gash left by the trail of the bullet where it had cut deep into her shoulder. Pearl winced, but wasted no time rummaging in the back for the medicine kits they had swiped from the pharmacy. She came back with hydrogen peroxide, gauze, a needle, and thread.

 

“I’m going to have to stitch it. Keep still, this will hurt.” Pearl doused the wound in hydrogen peroxide. Amethyst cried out, but managed not to pull away. 

 

“I’m sorry,” Pearl said.

 

“S’nothing,” Amethyst scoffed, her voice strained. “Just a flesh wound.”

 

Pearl smiled at her mock bravado. “Thanks, but you can’t make me feel better about this next part. How do you feel about needles?”

 

“I don’t know, but something tells me I’ll have an opinion real soon.”

 

“I’ll try and make it quick,” Pearl promised. She dipped the needle and thread in the hydrogen peroxide, then set to work. Amethyst did her best to remain still, but couldn’t stop a few pained grunts and whimpers from escaping her lips. Finally Pearl sat back and appraised her work.

 

“Well, that’s done,” Pearl declared. “How does it feel?”

 

Amethyst spoke from behind the gauze she was attempting to tear with her teeth. “Feelsh great. Like a walk in da park.”

 

Pearl scoffed, taking the gauze from Amethyst’s mouth and ripping off a length to wrap around the exposed stitches. “It’ll hurt for a while. It’s unlikely you’ll be able to use that arm much, at least for a bit.”

 

“Damn. And here I was, planning to go out for the major leagues,” Amethyst joked. Despite the forlorn sight of her bloodied little warrior, Pearl laughed. 

 

“You’re very brave,” Pearl said, pressing a brief kiss to the surprised girl’s cheek. Her voice grew stern again. “But if you ever do anything like that again, I will kill you myself.”

 

Amethyst blushed, now having difficulty making eye contact. “Yeah, well. I didn’t manage to get the gas anyway. I could go back and -”

 

“Not a chance,” Pearl interrupted. “I’m not letting you anywhere near those people again.”

 

“It’s fine, I still got the one arm and enough weapons from that store to -”

 

“No,” Pearl said firmly, grasping Amethyst’s hands. “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re all each other has left. There’s no way I’m going to risk losing you.”

 

Amethyst finally looked up, dark brown eyes meeting Pearl’s pale blue ones. 

 

“Yeah, okay,” she said slowly. She leaned forward shyly, resting her forehead against Pearl’s. Pearl felt her breath catch as Amethyst nuzzled her nose ever so slightly. “I wouldn’t leave you.”

 

They stayed that way for a few moments, before Pearl reluctantly pulled away. “We should get going. I don’t want you to have to drive through the night again.”

 

Amethyst drew back, cheeks darkening just a shade. “Yeah all right,” she agreed.

 

“Rest your arm. I’ll take over the driving for a while.”

 

\--

 

Luckily, they hardly passed any more towns as they headed still further north. Amethyst felt slightly relieved. As much as she wanted to go toe-to-toe with those men in a good fight -  _ let’s see how well they do without their guns _ \- she realized she had Pearl to think of now.

 

_ No more reckless stunts _ . She looked at her partner, brow slightly furrowed, eyes focused on the road ahead. Amethyst was pretending not to notice the worried glances Pearl shot at her from time to time. Truthfully her arm hurt like hell, but she wasn’t about to let on.

 

They elected to eat on the road, and Amethyst did her best to catch some sleep when she could in case they had another long night ahead of them. By her estimates, they were less than a day away from the cabin, but the weather was already getting bleak. Some time after noon they spotted the first sign of snow, and by early evening it was coming down heavily, casting an early twilight.

 

Pearl was squinting through the windshield, trying to make out the road through the whirling flakes. “I can’t see anything in this weather. We’re going to have to pull over and wait for it to clear.”

 

Amethyst grunted her assent. They pulled over at the first stand of trees they came upon, hiding the car behind dense foliage about a dozen yards from the road.

 

Pearl sat back. “So what do we do now?” she asked. 

 

Cold wind carrying a flurry of snow blew through the shattered back window. Amethyst didn’t miss the slight shiver that coursed through Pearl’s frame. She tossed her flannel in Pearl’s direction, scrambling out of the car.

 

“I dunno about you, but I’m gonna make us a fire,” Amethyst said decisively.

 

She managed to gather some dry kindling from the surrounding underbrush, and by the time she got back Pearl had dug out a shallow pit and brought some food from the car. Before long they had started a small fire going, and set two cans of beans by the flame. Pearl refused Amethyst’s flannel, so she clambered into the car and dug out an old quilt from beneath one of the seats. She slung it around Pearl’s shoulders, ignoring her protests.

 

“It takes a lot more cold than this to get to me. Keep it, you’ll need it more,” Amethyst insisted. Pearl pursed her lips, but declined to argue.

 

“How’s your arm feel?” 

 

Amethyst shrugged, then winced as she felt the stitches pull. She decided to change the subject.

 

“So where do you come from, originally? You got a family?” Amethyst asked, swiping a stick to poke at the fire.

 

Pearl sighed, running a hand through her short hair. “We haven’t spoken for a while. We don’t tend to see eye-to-eye on most things. Especially… you know” Pearl gestured vaguely toward her undercut. “What about you?”

 

“My folks kicked me out,” Amethyst answered, scuffing the snow gathering around her feet. “Haven’t spoken since.”

 

“So neither of us have anything to go home to,” Pearl concluded.

 

“Guess not.” Amethyst looked up at the snow tumbling to the ground, then to Pearl. Stray snowflakes were clinging to her hair and coating her blanket-clad shoulders. A few dusted her eyelashes, and one had landed on her pointed nose. In the light of the fire, framed by the falling snow, she looked beautiful. “But that’s not so bad.”

 

Pearl smiled at her. “No, it’s not.”

 

They ate the beans in silence. The sky had darkened significantly, and the wind picked up, whipping up the snow more furiously around them. Keeping the fire alive proved to be difficult between the harsh wind and the thickly falling snow. The flame soon died down to embers, and Amethyst finally let out a shiver.

 

Pearl grinned. “Cold enough for you yet?” 

 

Amethyst decided to ignore that comment and took the corner of the blanket Pearl offered gratefully. They quickly found it wasn’t quite big enough for two people. Amethyst moved to get up, but instead Pearl shifted her gently into her lap, wrapping her arms around Amethyst’s middle.

 

“Is this okay?” Pearl murmured into her hair.

 

Amethyst gulped. “Yeah.”  _ I’m gay, oh my God, I’m so gay. _ “Yeah of course.”

 

Amethyst hesitantly settled against Pearl’s chest, pulling the blanket tighter around them as the wind whistled through the trees. The taller girl sighed contentedly and rested her chin on Amethyst’s head. Amethyst prayed Pearl couldn’t feel how fast her heart was beating.

 

“What a mess,” Pearl said wistfully. “We had lives, futures. Now this.”

 

“Some of our futures were brighter than others,” Amethyst demurred.

 

“Sorry.”

 

“Don’t worry about it.”

 

Pearl changed the subject. “So where were you when this all began?”

 

Amethyst snorted. “I was just on the road with my semi when all hell broke loose. Saw people getting out of their cars, the cell tower go down. Seemed like there already was a lot going on in the city, but I don’t know much about that. You?”

 

Pearl didn’t respond right away. “I was at school… It was awful. We started getting news reports that all sorts of disasters were happening around the country. People had no idea what to do, mobs started looting… ” She paused, taking another deep breath. “I lost so many friends. I have no idea if they’re still alive.”

 

“I’m sorry, P.,” Amethyst said quietly.

 

“It’s okay.”

 

For a moment, the only sound was the wind rustling the branches above them, and the occasional crack somewhere deep in the trees as snow-laden branches gave way. 

 

Suddenly Pearl chuckled. “P…. I like that,” she mused. “Well, at least one good thing came out of this mess.”

 

“Yeah? What’s that?”

  
Pearl’s arms tightened around Amethyst, pulling her closer. “Take a guess.”


	4. So Goddamn Close

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The slow burn ends. For now

Amethyst groaned. The first thing she registered was the cold breeze blowing through the shattered window of the SUV, chilled air cutting through the cardboard they had tried to fasten over the broken glass. Her feet and nose were numb with cold. 

 

She rubbed a hand over her eyes, forgetting her arm. She winced. The crick in her neck from sleeping upright was nothing compared to the aching pain throbbing through her injured shoulder. 

 

Amethyst yawned, reaching into a pained stretch.  _ So much for keeping watch _ . She shifted painfully, careful not to wake Pearl. 

 

The taller girl had fallen asleep with her head resting against Amethyst’s good shoulder, body sprawled across her outstretched legs. Amethyst was glad the quilt was still mostly covering her, though she doubted Pearl was much warmer.

 

Roused by Amethyst’s movements, Pearl’s eyes fluttered. She squinted her eyes shut, a low groan escaped as she stretched.

 

“Good morning, love,” Amethyst placed a clumsy kiss on her hair. “How’d ya sleep?”

 

“So sore,” Pearl grunted, sitting up agonizingly. “And cold.” She blinked at the soft morning light streaming through the window. “What time is it?”

 

“I figure around six. The sky cleared up overnight though; we can get back on the road again.”

 

“Fantastic,” Pearl muttered.

 

“Not a morning person?” Amethyst teased.

 

“If you really want to find out, ask if I’m a morning p-person one m-more t-time,” Pearl forced out, teeth chattering.

 

“C’mere.” Amethyst pulled Pearl close against her chest, adjusting the quilt where it had slipped off her thin shoulders. Pearl buried her face in Amethyst’s neck gratefully.

 

“Mmm. You’re warm.”

 

“And your nose is a fucking icicle.”

 

“Sorry.”

 

They stayed like that until Pearl fell into an exhausted sleep. Amethyst held her, listening to her soft snores as the sun rose further into the sky. The car warmed up slightly, and Amethyst’s eyelids were just beginning to grow heavy when a faint sound cut through the early morning silence.

 

She sat up, rousing Pearl gently. The taller girl grumbled reluctantly. “I know, love, I’m sorry. But something’s up.”

 

Pearl sat upright. “What? What’s going on?” she asked urgently. Immediately, she picked up on the sound thrumming through the air. “Are those… rotors?”

 

They quickly stole out of the SUV and crouched behind the greenery shielding the car from the road. For the umpteenth time Amethyst was grateful for the bushes and overhanging tree branches laden with snow, shielding them from all sides.

 

They listened to the distant chopping noise, scanning the sky for any sign of the approaching helicopter. They were about to venture out to find a better vantage point when suddenly the branches above them shook violently, loose leaves and debris whipping around them as the helicopter flew directly overhead

 

“Shit!” Amethyst yelped.

 

They both dove for cover beneath the brush. Amethyst winced as she hit the cold ground, rolling onto her bad shoulder. Pearl slid in beside her. They lay there waiting until the thrumming grew faint, and all that was audible was the sound of their labored breathing.

 

“What the fuck was that?” Amethyst asked.

 

“Army, from what I could tell,” Pearl answered, crawling out from the underbrush and dusting herself off. She reached back, helping Amethyst to her feet. The shorter girl was favoring her injured arm.

 

“Are you hurt?” Pearl asked, concern in her voice.

 

“Nah, just a rough landing,” Amethyst lied. She looked around. “What the hell… ” 

 

Countless pieces of paper covered the ground and the surrounding brush. Pearl grabbed one from where it had landed on a nearby bush, shaking off the snow.

 

“Must’ve come from the chopper,” Amethyst surmised.

 

Pearl was already scanning the sheet. “So it seems… It’s a government order. They’re demanding that everyone report to ‘relocation camps.’”

 

“‘Relocation camps’? I don’t like the sound of that,” Amethyst said uneasily.

 

“Me neither,” Pearl admitted. “It looks like they’re attempting to restore order. Listen to this: ‘All citizens are required to report to the nearest camp in their area. Food rations and housing will be provided. Failure to report will result in prosecution under martial law.’ On the back is a list of all the locations they’ve set up.”

 

Amethyst let out a long whistle. “They’re not fucking around.”

 

“No, they’re not,” Pearl mused. “Still. I don’t like it. Who knows what would happen to us?”

 

“We could be separated,” Amethyst said sadly. Pearl reached for her hand, and Amethyst took it gratefully.

 

“We’re not going to be separated,” Pearl promised. “I don’t care what they say they’ll do. We’re not going. Understood?”

 

Amethyst smiled up at her. “Never had you pinned for the renegade type, P.,” she teased. “But I’m down.” She thought for a moment and smirked, “I guess that means we’re rebels now.”

 

\--

 

They quickly covered up all evidence of their campsite, grabbed some food, and continued on their way. From the air-dropped flyers, Pearl estimated they were a safe distance from any of the relocation sites listed, most of which seemed to be near major cities. However they kept an eye on the sky for any sign of helicopters passing overhead.

 

The road gradually grew hilly as they entered more mountainous country. The trees alternately grew thinner or thicker alongside the road as they climbed snow-covered slopes and descended into valleys. Pearl had taken over the driving again after noting the shorter girl seemed to be having difficulty with her shoulder on the increasingly winding route. Amethyst had surrendered the steering wheel without protest.

 

“It’s not too far now,” Amethyst assured her. “Jus’ keep going along this road for a while. The turnoff will be on your left.”

 

Pearl only half-heard her. “Do you see that?” she asked, squinting through the windshield.

 

Amethyst followed her gaze. “I dunno. That dot all the way down the road over there? What’s it look like?” she asked.

 

“I think it’s a vehicle of some sort,” Pearl guessed. “But we haven’t passed another car in ages.”

 

“And it’s getting bigger,” Amethyst added. “We should pull over just to be sure, but I think it’s moving.”

 

Pearl obliged, pulling the SUV off the road. They stared at it for a few moments. 

 

“It’s moving. We need to hide the car,” Pearl concluded, taking in their surroundings. There were hardly any trees. Only a few scraggly bushes and scattered tufts of grass littered the sparse mountainside. “Or not.”

 

“Uh, P., I got more bad news.”

 

Pearl looked over at the shorter girl, following the direction of her glance. Before the vehicle descended into the valley just ahead, she caught the unmistakable green-beige of an armored car.

 

\--

 

After a rushed deliberation, they decided to make the car appear abandoned. Pearl threw open the driver’s side door and clambered out, while Amethyst took care of the passenger side and back doors. As the sound of an engine grew nearer, they ran for cover, lying flat behind some brush.

 

Pearl peered between the barren branches as the vehicle crested the hill, holding her breath. She could feel Amethyst tense beside her. Pearl shifted slightly closer, comforted by her proximity.

 

The soldiers mounted on the vehicle shouted and gestured as they spotted the SUV. The armored car slowed, and two men jumped down. One man ducked his head into the driver’s side. The other checked the back. Pearl strained to make out the terse orders exchanged between the men in the first vehicle and those searching their car. She waited with bated breath.  _ What is taking them so long? _

 

Suddenly, one of the soldiers turned in their direction, stepping off the road to survey the surrounding landscape. Pearl felt her heart rush to her throat. Just a few more steps, and they would no doubt be visible from where he was standing. Beside her, Amethyst’s jaw was clenched, muscles taut. She was already prepared for the worst. Pearl rested a restraining hand on her bicep.  _ Not yet. _

 

After what seemed like an eternity, but must have only been a few seconds, the soldier joined the second man on the armored vehicle. After a few barked orders, the car shifted back in gear and continued trundling down the road. Pearl didn’t dare move until they had crested the next ridge and were completely out of sight.

 

“Oh my God,” Pearl groaned. She rolled onto her back, burying her face in her hands. “I thought it was all over. If he had come two steps closer…”

 

“I can’t believe that worked!” Amethyst cheered, catching Pearl in an abrupt tackle. She laughed as they tumbled down the slight slope. 

 

As they rolled to a stop, Pearl paused to catch her breath. She glanced down to find Amethyst staring up at her. She was straddling her soft middle, looking into familiar dark brown eyes. Pearl’s gaze traveled down to her mouth. She was suddenly overwhelmed by the need to feel Amethyst’s soft, full lips against her own.

 

Part of her knew it was best to get back on the road, but she pushed that thought to the back of her mind. She leaned down, and Amethyst closed her eyes. Pearl paused just above her, suddenly appreciating her every feature - her dark eyelashes, her snub nose, the full curve of her lips. Amethyst’s breath was shallow against her face. Pearl pressed a soothing hand on her fluttering chest, then leaned into her, finally meeting her lips.

 

Amethyst’s mouth moved against hers with an urgency that Pearl now recognized she had felt as well. She returned the kiss fervently, struggling to keep track of time and place. Amethyst was intoxicating. Her fingers were knotted in Pearl’s hair, and the hand Pearl had laid gently on Amethyst’s chest now held a fistful of her shirt. She was lost in her smell, the feel of her lips, and for the first time, the end of the world was the furthest thing from her mind.


	5. Fucking Hell

Pearl pulled away, gasping. She blinked away the thoughts that had suddenly crowded her mind.  _ We can’t do this, this can’t happen. This is a mistake. _ She stumbled to her feet. This was the end of the world as they knew it. She had to think of their survival, not this. This was too much.

 

“What’s wrong, P.?” Amethyst’s rough voice was full of concern.

 

“Amethyst, this isn’t a good idea,” Pearl exclaimed. “We can’t do this, we can’t - we can’t be like this.”

 

“P., if I did something -” Amethyst began.

 

“No - no it’s not you,” Pearl insisted, trying to clear her thoughts. “This - all of this - is too dangerous. What if another car had come along and seen us? We can’t let our guard down even for a moment. We can’t -”

 

Then she was in Amethyst’s arms, holding onto her, face buried in her shoulder. She couldn’t see Amethyst’s expression. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

 

This time it was Amethyst who pulled away. She swept her dark locks over her eyes, making it impossible to read her face. 

 

“S’okay, P. I get it,” she muttered, but something in her voice broke Pearl’s heart. “We should get back to the car. They’re probably doin’ a ground sweep, explains the vehicle we saw -”

 

“Wait,” Pearl interrupted. She brushed the tangled locks away from her face, cradling the shorter girl’s cheek gently. Pearl waited for Amethyst’s eyes to meet hers.

 

“Amethyst, please, understand. I care about you. You’re my whole world now,” Pearl explained. “But this can’t work. Maybe if we had met before, or even after, in another time… ” her voice trailed off. She wanted to kiss her again so badly, take those pouting lips in her own and forget everything, but she couldn’t make this any harder. She didn’t know if either of them could endure that. Instead she stepped away.

 

“Please, let’s just - go back to the way we were,” Pearl pleaded. She didn’t know if it was possible, but she needed to have something. Anything she could hold onto, even if it wasn’t as strong and steadfast as Amethyst herself.

 

“I’m not gonna stop loving you, P.,” Amethyst muttered.

 

Pearl sighed. “And honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever feel this way about anyone else. But this is the way it has to be.”

 

They were both silent for a minute. Finally, Amethyst seemed to steel herself. “Okay.” She reached for the hand that had been cradling her cheek moments before, intertwining her fingers with Pearl’s. 

 

“Let’s go back to the car. We don’t have much longer to go.”

 

They walked back toward the road slowly. Amethyst had let her hair fall over her eyes again, avoiding Pearl’s gaze. Pearl took the opportunity to take in the sight of her partner. Long, tangled mane, light brown skin, stocky build but muscled, hard and soft at once. Strong and kind, brave and gentle. The same thought cycled over and over again in Pearl’s mind.  _ I have to do this. I have to protect her. _

 

She could only gaze at Amethyst for so long; then the churning in the pit of her stomach would become too much, her resolve would falter, and she would have to look away.

 

\--

 

Amethyst took the wheel now. She had driven up here countless times on her own to fish or camp, and knew the winding unmarked dirt roads by heart. They didn’t say another word as they drove on, the road now winding through forests thick with trees, only interrupted by small, grassy meadows.

 

Amethyst had been quiet since they had gotten back to the car. Her first instinct had been to argue, try to explain that she could love Pearl and take care of them too. She wanted to beg Pearl to give her a chance to show her, to give  _ them _ a chance. Yet something made her hold back. Gradually, she resigned herself to it. If this is what Pearl wanted, if this is what made her feel safe, she would do it. But she was determined not to let on how much it hurt.

 

_ Well it’s not like she doesn’t like you,  _ she thought bitterly.  _ Nothing personal, jus,’ y’know, the end of the fucking world. _

 

Amethyst cut that thought short, shaking her head. No, she couldn’t think like that. Whatever had happened back there, she couldn’t dwell on it, couldn’t hope for it. Pearl was right. She had to focus on their survival first and foremost.

 

_ And if I do love her, _ she admitted, allowing herself a wistful glance at Pearl.  _ Jus’ another reason to look out for her. _

 

The car emitted a sudden coughing sound, pulling her back to the present. “Shit!”

 

They had just turned off the paved road onto a small, uneven dirt one. Amethyst wrenched the wheel sharply to the side, just managing to bury the front of the SUV into a clump of bushes before the engine sputtered and died. The car rolled to a stop.

 

“What happened?” Pearl cried.

 

Amethyst checked the fuel gauge. “Remember how I said we were going to need that gas… ”

 

“Oh crap.”

 

They both got out of the car. Pearl inspected the unfamiliar surroundings, while Amethyst cast a glance towards the sky.

 

“We got time till nightfall, but the sky’s getting darker. I think another storm’s coming,” Amethyst speculated. “I dunno about you, but I’d rather ride it out in the cabin than in the car. It’s only a little over a mile from here.”

 

“Hmm,” Pearl agreed. “What about the car though? And our food and gear?”

 

Amethyst took a look in the back and sighed. “There’s too much. We’ll hafta leave it if we want to get there before we’re buried in snow,” she replied.

 

Pearl thought for a moment. Amethyst could almost see the gears turning in her head.

 

“Well, unfortunately the car is still partially visible from the road,” Pearl mused, circling to the back. “We don’t have time to try to push it. But -” she opened the trunk, yanking open the spare tire compartment “- we can hide whatever’s inside, and retrieve it later.”

 

She hauled out the spare and rolled it beneath the bushes, then began piling all the stolen tools inside. Amethyst grabbed the food - “ya gotta truss it up so the animals don’t get to it” - expertly wrapping all of it in a tarp and fastening the bundle with rope she had taken from the hardware store. By the time she had strung it up among the branches and Pearl had finished storing the rest of their gear, the first few flakes of snow were beginning to fall.

 

“We should get moving, P.,” Amethyst urged. “It’ll start coming down heavy real quick.”

 

“Just one moment,” Pearl replied. She dragged a fallen branch from the underbrush, heaving it onto the car. Amethyst caught on, and began to help her heave more boughs from the ground and lean them against the SUV. Finally, they stepped back to look at their handiwork. The vehicle was mostly shielded; it would only be visible to those looking closely.

 

Amethyst noticed that the ground was now dusted in a thin layer of white. She looked up to find the snow was coming down in flurries, and the sky had turned an ominous dark gray.

 

“We gotta go.”

 

\--

 

They had made it less than half a mile when the snow began to come down in earnest. The wind picked up, catching the thick white flakes in mid air and swirling them around the two girls. Soon it was impossible to see more than a few yards ahead of them. Neither Pearl nor Amethyst were dressed for a snowstorm. Freezing sleet quickly cut through their clothes and soaked them through until they were chilled to the bone. 

 

They did their best to follow the faint trail, but the snow rapidly covered everything from the tall pines to the underbrush in an even blanket of white. Pearl was struggling to keep her bearings, which was only made more difficult by the precarious uphill trek which required her to keep her eyes glued to the ground. Frozen ice and snow on the pine needles made the forest floor slick, and she found herself slipping on the icy slope.

 

She looked up briefly, squinting through the thick screen of white for her partner. She raised her voice to be heard over the wind.

 

“Amethyst, do you still know where we’re going?” she yelled.

 

“I think so!” Amethyst called back. “The cabin should be just about a half a mile further up this way, if I remember -” 

 

Pearl’s foot suddenly slid out from under her. She flailed, tumbling back a few steps and landing on her ankle hard. A sharp pain shot up her leg, making her cry out.

 

“Pearl!” Amethyst was beside her in seconds. “Oh my God P., are you okay?”

 

Pearl groaned. “It hurts - I think I sprained it. I wasn’t paying attention to the trail,” she explained, internally kicking herself.

 

“Can you walk?” Amethyst asked.

 

Pearl struggled to her feet. She shifted her weight tentatively to her injured ankle, testing how much it could take. Instantly pain flashed through her leg, and she crumbled. This time, Amethyst caught her before she hit the ground.

 

“It’s no use,” Pearl said. “We can’t stay out here, but I’m not going to make it very far on one leg. You go on ahead, I’ll -”

 

Strong arms were already lifting her, one beneath her back and the other supporting her legs. Amethyst hefted Pearl against her chest. “This okay?” she grunted.

 

“Amethyst!” Pearl sputtered. “I mean - yes, but - you’re going to rip your stitches!”

 

“Better than leaving you out here to freeze,” Amethyst countered. “You honestly think I’m just gonna ditch you?”

 

Pearl pursed her lips, but didn’t respond right away. She ducked her head against Amethyst’s shoulder. 

 

“I wouldn’t blame you if you did,” she said, almost too quietly to be heard over the wind. Guilt weighed heavy in her chest.  _ After what I did to you _ , she thought.

 

“Not a chance,” Amethyst growled.

 

Amethyst hoisted Pearl a little higher, ignoring the freezing snow beginning to cover them both. Gritting her teeth, she turned back towards the trail and continued trekking through the storm.


	6. Fucked

_ We should have reached the cabin by now _ , Amethyst thought worriedly. 

 

It felt as though she had been trudging through the forest for hours, and the snow formed an impenetrable, white blur, making it impossible to tell how far she had gone or had yet to go.  _ I could miss the cabin by a couple yards and never know _ , she realized. Immediately she pushed that thought aside. No, she had been following what her best guess was of the direction of the trail. She had to be getting close.

 

She hoped they would reach it soon. Pearl was shivering in her arms, although Amethyst had done her best to partially wrap her in her flannel. But Amethyst’s body heat wouldn’t be enough to help her if worst came to worst and they were forced to lay low until the storm let up. She pushed this thought out of her mind as well, for the moment.

 

Amethyst was only slightly warmed by the exertion of carrying Pearl and fighting uphill through the icy wind. The combination of fatigue and cold made her feel more numb than anything. She was vaguely aware her clothes had frozen in places, where the damp snow had soaked them, but she was too tired to care. She had even long since forgotten the pain in her arm; though Pearl was light, she could feel the pull of her stitches.

 

Abruptly, the snow seemed to let up slightly as the wind died down for a moment. She looked up, scanning the surrounding trees for any sign of the little cabin. In the distance, through the falling snow, she thought she could see the faint outline of a house.

 

“Oh shit! P.! We made it!” she cheered. She picked up her pace, climbing as fast as she could without jostling Pearl.

 

“That’s g-great,” Pearl chattered.

 

“Hang in there P.,” Amethyst panted, almost jogging the last few yards. The sight of a familiar rough-hewn cabin greeted her around the last slight turn in the trail.

 

“That’s it!” she exclaimed. She ran the last few feet to the door, stooping to place Pearl gently on the steps before she darted around the side and retrieved the spare key from its hiding place by the woodpile, thanking whoever was listening that nobody had moved it since the last time she had visited.

 

Amethyst had the door open in an instant. When she turned back to pick up her partner, she found Pearl attempting to stand on her one good leg. Pearl tried to wave her off. 

 

“Don’t worry, I’m quite capable of making it up two steps on one  _ oof _ ” Before she could finish, Amethyst had swept her back up into her arms with a laugh.

 

“C’mon P.,” she teased, stepping inside. “Isn’t it customary for the groom to carry the bride over the threshold or some shit like that, for good luck?”

 

Pearl pursed her lips. “Do tell, what is it about us and the end of life as we know it that reminds you of a straight couple on their honeymoon?” Pearl asked drily.

 

“Don’t worry P., I know there’s nothin’ straight about you,” Amethyst joked, planting a playful kiss on her cheek. “And hell, I figure we could use all the good luck we can get.”

 

The inside of the cabin was dark, and not much warmer than the snowstorm still raging outside. Amethyst set Pearl down gently on the battered couch, then bustled around lighting lanterns and candles. She dug inside a closet, pulling out a thick blanket which she wrapped around Pearl’s shoulders. On her insistence, Pearl also propped her ankle up on the pile of pillows she provided.

 

Before long Amethyst got a fire going in the little cook stove with dry wood from the pile by the door, and the cabin began to feel cozy. It was small, but well-equipped. The kitchen was located in the main room tucked in a nook by the back wall. Opposite that was the door, flanked by a closet on the left and a small window on the right. The third wall hosted the wood stove situated in front of the old couch. A little square  table complete with two rough-hewn chairs had been crammed into the corner, and the fourth wall held a window, along with a cluttered bookshelf and several cabinets filled with miscellaneous equipment.

 

The only other rooms branched off a short hallway next to the kitchen. One held a small cot and a work table that served as a storage room for coolers, tents, and more junk that Amethyst had yet to investigate. The second room was across from the first and contained a crude bedstead, complete with a mattress and several heavy, thick blankets. Besides the dresser, a small night table, and a chair, the room was barren. The entire cabin contained little else in the way of furnishings besides a few worn rugs and a clock.

 

“Rustic,” Pearl noted, eyeing the uncut log walls and low-hanging timbers that served as ceiling beams.

 

“If ‘shitty’ is the word you’re lookin’ for I’m not gonna take offense,” Amethyst drawled. “It could use some work. Tomorrow I gotta get started caulking and chinking the cracks, take a look at the roof an’ make sure none of the shingles got ripped off by the storm, and I’ll probably need to chop more firewood since the pile out back won’t last us a week -” she stopped short, turning around to find Pearl staring at her.

 

“What’s with the bedroom eyes?” Amethyst asked.

 

Pearl chuckled. “Very butch. I like that,” she said. Amethyst brushed her hair over her face to hide the blush rising to her cheeks.

 

“I can give you a hand with the roof,” Pearl continued. “I patch shingles pretty well, and you’ll need an extra hand or two up there.”

 

“Not with that ankle,” Amethyst replied. She finally found what she was looking for, dragging a medical kit from the cabinet she had been rummaging through. She shifted the pillows on the couch and flopped down in their place, settling Pearl’s injured leg in her lap. 

 

“Let me take a look,” she offered. Gently, she pulled off Pearl’s boot and rolled down the sock.

 

“Hmm… Looks like the cold kept the swelling down at least,” Amethyst observed. With deft hands she swathed it with gauze, careful not to jostle the joint. She kept an eye on Pearl’s face, checking for any signs of pain or discomfort.

 

“That should do it,” she concluded. “How’s it feel?”

 

“Much better,” Pearl admitted. “Thank you, Amethyst.”

 

“Anytime P.,” she replied, fixing the pile of pillows and resting Pearl’s ankle on it gently. “We should get you a change of clothes too, get you out of your wet ones an’ let those dry by the fire.”

 

“That would certainly help,” Pearl responded. Amethyst was already on her way to the back room.

 

“I always keep some extra clothes in here,” she called over her shoulder as she dug through the pile of junk. In no time she reappeared with wearing dark jeans and a green flannel. She tossed a gray shirt to Pearl.

 

“Sorry, I don’t have any pants that would fit, but this shirt is long,” she apologized.

 

Pearl smiled. “Thank you. This is fine,” she said gratefully. She slipped off her shirt effortlessly, laughing as Amethyst frantically covered her eyes. “You’re all right, Amethyst,” she assured her.

 

“Eh, still,” Amethyst insisted.

 

“Ok fine, you can look now,” Pearl said. The gray flannel was huge on her, and threatened to slip off one shoulder. Amethyst thought she looked gorgeous.

 

“That’s quite a daring look P.,” Amethyst teased.

 

“You’re a riot,” Pearl said drily. “Now help me get these pants off.”

 

Amethyst did her best to hide her blush. She helped Pearl tug off the soaked jeans, careful to pull them gently over her injured ankle. This was not exactly the context in which she wanted to be ripping off her pants.  _ Fuck I am gay, I am so gay _ . 

 

Amethyst laid out their clothes in front of the little wood stove, then tugged the blanket over Pearl’s legs. When she was done she sprawled on the couch next to her, and the taller girl laid back, resting her head in Amethyst’s lap. Amethyst grunted contentedly, running her fingers absentmindedly through Pearl’s hair.

 

“Are you warm enough?” Amethyst asked.

 

“Yes, finally,” Pearl replied. “Thank you.”

 

“Don’t mention it.”

 

Neither of them moved for a while. Amethyst listened to the storm howl outside, comforted by Pearl’s breathing and the crackling of the fire. Eventually she’d have to put another log on, but she didn’t want to disturb her partner, who was now emitting soft snores. 

 

Amethyst’s eyelids were growing heavy as well.  _ I should really wake her up, have her sleep in a proper bed _ , she thought. But Pearl looked so peaceful. The worried, tense lines were gone from the corners of her eyes, her face relaxed in the soft firelight.  _ She’s beautiful _ , Amethyst thought for the millionth time. 

 

\--

 

By the time Amethyst woke up, it was dark. The tiny fire had gone out, and an icy chill had settled into the room. She shivered, suddenly acutely aware she wasn’t wearing a blanket. Her arm ached dully, but she ignored it. She would deal with that later. First she needed to get Pearl to the bed, and make sure she got a good night’s sleep.

 

“P.,” she whispered, shaking her shoulder gently. Pearl muttered sleepily. “C’mon, get up.”

 

Pearl finally groaned and sat up, cracking her neck. “Ugh. What time is it?”

 

Amethyst glanced at the clock. “Only around midnight, but you’re exhausted. Let’s get you to an actual bed,” she insisted.

 

Pearl grumbled, but took Amethyst’s hand as she helped her up. She leaned on the shorter girl, and they slowly made their way to the bedroom. Amethyst helped Pearl into the low bed, checking that she had enough blankets, then turned to leave.

 

Pearl caught her arm. “Come on, there’s plenty of room,” she assured her. Amethyst hesitated. 

 

“At the very least, we’ll both be warmer,” Pearl pointed out.

 

Amethyst gave in, pulling off her jeans and sliding under the covers. Pearl immediately curled up against her chest.

 

“Is this all right?” Pearl asked.

 

“’Course,” Amethyst said gruffly. She wrapped her arms around the taller girl, pulling her close against her. Pearl shuddered at the sudden warmth.

 

“Mm. Thank you,” Pearl sighed, pressing a grateful kiss to Amethyst’s jaw. Amethyst thought she was going to faint. She prayed Pearl couldn’t hear her heart racing. “Yeah, no prob P.”

 

They both fell silent then, Pearl’s breathing growing slow and steady. The only other sound was the wind whistling through the cracks in the cabin. The sound of the storm had faded, having died down at some point while they were asleep. Amethyst could see the snow through the window across from the bed, lightly falling over the forest. Everything else, even the trees, were still, illuminated only by the weak light of the moon.

 

Pearl shifted suddenly, rolling off Amethyst and turning over to face the other wall. A few minutes later she curled up in a ball and clutched the blanket tighter around her. Amethyst patiently shifted to lay beside her. She wrapped a gentle arm around Pearl’s middle, pulling the thin girl close against her and tucking her legs behind Pearl’s. 

 

Pearl immediately relaxed into her, although Amethyst didn’t miss the small shiver that ran down her body as she nuzzled her face into Pearl’s short pink hair.

 

“Warm enough?”

 

Pearl sighed happily, and laid an arm over the one encircling her waist. “Mm,” she muttered sleepily.

 

Amethyst sighed, feeling her heartbeat pick up again. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could do this. She couldn’t tell if being so close to Pearl made things better or worse.

 

Sure, she got to hold the girl she loved in her arms each night, Pearl let her be affectionate, even seemed to like being close to her. Odds were, they would probably spend the foreseeable future together. 

 

_ But still _ , she thought.  _ In the end, she still doesn’t love me back. _


	7. Hot Damn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://m.popkey.co/fbe6a2/bXKoj.gif

Amethyst sat bolt upright. Something was wrong. 

 

She looked around the silent room bathed in faint moonlight. Had she heard something? The forest visible through the window was still. The snow was still falling, but more lightly now. The flakes cast faint shadows on the floor. Amethyst listened for whatever had disturbed her, but all was quiet except for the sound of the trees whispering and the faint whistling of the wind.

 

She had already flopped back on her side and gathered Pearl back into her arms when she caught the faint echo of a distant shout. “ _ Shit _ ,” Amethyst hissed. She propped herself on one elbow, straining her ears. She estimated they had to be over half a mile away, at least.

 

Pearl stirred, opening her eyes. She caught sight of Amethyst, tensed and listening. “What’s wrong?” she demanded.

 

“I think somebody found our car,” she said grimly. “Only reason they’d be all the way out here in the middle of the night.”

 

“Who are they? How many are there?” Pearl asked urgently.

 

“Not sure,” Amethyst replied. “I just heard a shout. It sounded about half a mile out, maybe more.”

 

“It’s unlikely to be army,” Pearl reasoned. “It must be other people.”

 

“Probably,” Amethyst agreed. “But I have a bad feeling they’re looking for supplies and we’re sitting on ‘em.”

 

Another call rang through the quiet forest. This one was slightly louder and came from a different direction, but it was still a fair distance away.

 

“Shit, they’re fanning out. They’re definitely looking for us,” Amethyst grunted, moving to get up.

 

Pearl caught her arm before she could fully sit up. “Where are you going?”

 

“I’m just gonna go out and take a look,” Amethyst explained. “See how many there are, if they’re getting too close -”

 

“No, no way,” Pearl said. “There’s no way I’m letting you go out there.”

 

“What?" she protested, pulling away. "It’ll only be for a bit, just to see -”

 

“No,” Pearl said, more forcefully this time. She held Amethyst back with surprising strength.

 

“Why not?” Amethyst demanded. She was propped over the taller girl, but Pearl had an iron grip on her arm should she try to break free.

 

“Because the last time I let you out of my sight you got shot!” Pearl retorted, but the anger in her voice didn’t match the worry in her eyes.

 

Amethyst shook her head, biting back sudden rage. “Stop! Stop doing that!” she yelled suddenly.

 

Pearl was taken aback by her raised voice. Her face clouded with confusion. “Stop doing what? Amethyst, I don’t underst -”

 

“Stop pretending like you care about me!” Amethyst could feel her voice rising, but she couldn’t stop. “You can’t just keep acting like nothing happened after you pushed me away! You still want to be close to me and have me take care of you, and then you make me feel like you care about me too but you don’t!”

 

“Amethyst, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean -”

 

“I know, I know!” Amethyst cried, shaking her head. Suddenly she didn’t know if she was more angry at Pearl or herself. “I just - I don’t understand how can you treat me like this when you don’t even love me!”

 

Amethyst took another deep breath, dimly aware of more shouts ringing through the trees. They sounded more distant now. Before she could continue, Pearl cut her off, resting a gentle hand on her cheek.

 

“Amethyst,” she murmured. Something in her voice made the heavier girl pause. “I  _ never _ said I didn’t love you.”

 

For a moment, Amethyst looked at Pearl, speechless. A thousand thoughts were flying through her mind. Pearl was waiting for her. The hand Pearl had been using to restrain her arm now slid over her shoulder and settled on the back of her neck. Amethyst leaned down, and Pearl rose to meet her.

 

Pearl arced into Amethyst as their lips met, moaning softly into the back of her throat. In an instant Pearl was in her arms, her taste on her tongue, and their mouths were crashing together with abandon. She let her teeth graze Pearl’s lower lip, felt Pearl shudder in response and pull her closer until their bodies met. Her lips moved over Pearl’s urgently, deepening the kiss until every small sound either one uttered was muffled against the other’s fervent mouth.

 

Pearl pressed against her shoulders gently, and Amethyst immediately pulled away. She paused slightly to catch her breath, then spoke.

 

“I’m sorry, I should’ve told you what I wanted before,” Pearl said earnestly. “I never intended to hurt you. But I want this. Believe me.”

 

Amethyst smiled and trailed her nose along Pearl’s cheek, pressing firm kisses along her jaw. “Mmm,” she hummed. “What made you change your mind?”

 

Pearl struggled to keep her breathing steady enough to speak. “Didn’t take much,” she managed. “Both of us were miserable, and we weren’t any safer.”

 

She caught the Amethyst’s face in her hands, searching her eyes. “But what do _you_ want?”

 

Amethyst grinned, leaning in and sealing their lips in another deep kiss. She pressed Pearl back against the pillows, taking her time to savor the feeling of Pearl’s mouth surging impatiently against her own. Then she drew back slowly, still lingering over Pearl’s slightly parted lips.

 

“I want you,” she murmured. “I don’t care about the world going to hell, I don’t care about the future, I don’t even care what happens to me. All I see is you.”

 

Pearl stopped her before she could continue the kiss. “ _ I  _ care about what happens to you,” she said firmly.

 

Amethyst grinned. She was about to lean in, lose herself again in Pearl’s arms, the taste of her lips, when another yell rang through the trees. This time it was louder, barely a dozen yards from the cabin.

 

“ _ Fuck _ ,” Amethyst growled. “They must have doubled back. And they’re getting close this time.”

 

She scrambled out of bed, frantically pulling on her pants. “All right,” she continued, mind racing. “We’re probably outnumbered, but if they doubled back that means they have a car, parked out by the road, I'm guessing. If we make a run for it, we can make it back to the SUV, grab the some supplies, get them loaded, and be on our way before they even make it past the cabin.”

 

Pearl cleared her throat. “Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be making a run for it anytime soon,” she said, gesturing to her injured ankle. “And you won’t make it very far carrying me.”

 

“Of course,” Amethyst said. She kicked herself internally. “Okay, we’re staying put. There’s still a good chance they’ll pass right by us.”

 

“And if they don’t?” Pearl asked.

 

Both of them knew the answer, but neither said it aloud. They would have to fight them off, outnumbered, and sporting between them an injured arm and a sprained ankle. The odds of them coming out victorious were slim at best.

 

“Let me see how many there are, and if they’re armed,” Amethyst said suddenly. 

 

Pearl opened her mouth to protest, but Amethyst cut her off. “The storm blew itself out, and I know these woods like the back of my hand,” she explained. “Besides, at least knowing what we’re up against and preparing for it is the best chance we have of coming out of this.”

 

“Fine, but you’re not going alone,” Pearl insisted. She swung her legs off the edge of the bed, getting unsteadily to her feet.

 

“Not gonna happen P.,” Amethyst said. “If one of them spots us, there’s no way you’ll get out of there in time. It’s safer for both of us if I go alone.”

 

Pearl pursed her lips, but didn’t argue. Amethyst could see how helpless she felt, and could only guess how much it was killing her inside. She gave Pearl a brief, reassuring kiss. “I’ll be safe,” she promised.

 

Pearl cradled her face, nuzzling her nose gently. “Come back soon. Please.”

 

“I will.”


	8. Screwed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: Mild violence

The moment Amethyst was gone, Pearl regretted letting her go out there alone. Amethyst was was wonderfully brave, but reckless. It would be just like her to put herself in danger, if she thought that was the right thing to do.  _ Or _ , another thought occurred to her _ if it would save Pearl. _ Pearl berated herself silently. What had she been thinking? She should have never let her out of her sight.

 

_ And what would you have done?  _ she thought, cursing her sprained ankle for the umpteenth time. Well, the last thing she intended to do was sit on her hands and worry. Painfully, she lifted herself from the bed, balancing precariously on her one good leg. Grabbing onto the doorjamb and wall for support, she made her way hop by hop into the storage room.

 

The entire place was crammed with miscellaneous objects. A cooler lay next to four fishing rods stacked against the wall, accompanied by at least three tackle boxes. Beneath a little cot were several pairs of boots, some blankets, and extra lanterns. Stacked buckets and a nest of rope took up most of one wall. The rest of the items consisted mainly of various sized boxes, piled as high as the ceiling in some places. 

 

Pearl collapsed into one of the folding chairs she found leaning by the door, and began searching the immediate area for anything useful. The work table was cluttered with wood shavings and countless tools, none quite what she had in mind, but stacked underneath she found wood of various cuts and lengths.

 

“There we go,” Pearl muttered. She grabbed two thin, sturdy pieces of wood around the same length, just longer than her shin. She snatched the duct tape out of the pile of items on the table and set to work lining up the two boards on either side of her injured leg and wrapping them securely in place with the tape. She was vaguely aware of the shouts still echoing outside, growing closer, but she couldn’t focus on that now. She couldn’t think of what was going on outside without fearing for Amethyst.

 

“Okay,” she said to herself, tearing off the tape with her teeth. “Next thing, going to need a weapon.”

 

Pearl hobbled onto her makeshift cast tentatively and was pleased to find it was stable. She looked around. To the side of the table was a massive rolling toolbox and what appeared to be a tall cabinet, both of which looked hopeful. 

 

First she hobbled over and rifled through the toolbox’s many drawers, but found nothing better than the axes and other blunt tools scattered throughout the room.

 

“No no this won’t do at all…where’s something long-distance?” she muttered. She huffed, slamming the drawer shut. She gave up on on the toolbox, and moved on to the cabinet instead. “Would it kill them to have left a nail gun or -”

 

She opened the cabinet doors and let out a low whistle. “Well. That will certainly do.”

 

\--

 

Pearl hurriedly grabbed her spoils and was engrossed in preparations when a sharp yell, followed by a sudden commotion, broke the silence. 

 

She froze.  _ No _ ,  _ no _ . She strained to hear more. Faintly, the sound of a scuffle reached her ears. Then more shouts, and the sound of others crashing through the forest.  _ Please Ame, come on. _

 

It fell quiet for a moment. Pearl closed her eyes, praying to anybody who was listening.  _ Please, please, please _ -

 

Her silent pleas were abruptly cut off by a triumphant cry. She closed her eyes, biting her lip to keep it from shaking. It wasn’t Amethyst’s voice.

 

_ Maybe she’s all right _ , Pearl tried.  _ Maybe they won’t hurt her. _

 

But she couldn’t make herself believe it. It took every ounce of restraint she had not to run out into the forest looking for her partner. But it would be no use. If Amethyst wasn’t in danger, Pearl would alert whoever was out there to their presence, or worse, get lost in the unfamiliar forest. Not to mention she didn’t stand a chance against what she had estimated were at least five other people, maybe more.

 

If something had happened to Amethyst - Pearl shuddered to think of what that might entail - then she would be depending on Pearl. Eventually, they would make their way to the cabin, through Amethyst’s cooperation or of their own accord. The best thing Pearl could do for her now was be ready. All she had was a plan, and the element of surprise, neither of which would work if she left to look for her, or tried anything rash.

 

Pearl inhaled shakily, pushing away the other thoughts she dared not consider. “Amethyst is fine,” she said aloud. “And she’s coming back.”

 

That was the only thing she could think, if she were to keep going. She went back to her task, hands moving with an urgency she could barely contain.  _ Please _ .

 

\--

 

Amethyst meanwhile had been skirting a mile-wide radius around the cabin, starting from where she had estimated the most recent shout had originated. 

 

She crept along silently, sticking to the shadows of the tall, silent trees and thick bushes capped with snow. The pines grew close together in places, their branches forming a dense canopy that filtered the weak moonlight so barely any reached the ground below. Amethyst stayed beneath their shade, avoiding the clearings where the trees were sparse and the light was reflected brightly against the snow.

 

She caught wind of the first two men, quickly slipping behind a tall oak for cover. They clearly weren’t concerned about moving quietly. She heard them coming before they were within ten feet of the tree she was hidden behind.

 

Two sets of footsteps approached, loudly crunching through the snow. She only caught a snippet of their conversation - “...another minute, then call again…” - before they passed by her.

 

She waited until they were about five yards ahead, then silently fell in step behind them, weaving between the trees and crouching close to the ground whenever they slowed. The sound of their footsteps covered her own. She kept her breathing quiet, inhaling through her nose and exhaling from her mouth, ears strained for any sound that might give her away.

 

They were moving slowly, talking between themselves in lowered voices. Instinctively, she calculated her odds. Both men couldn’t be more than 5’8, probably around 160 or so. They had at least 6 inches on her, but she was bigger. For a moment, she considered jumping them - if she was quiet, she could knock out one, and take out the next one before he knew what was going on. If she could just hit them fast enough… 

 

She tensed, catching the moon reflecting off something in the second man’s hands. He was carrying what she could only assume was a weapon. She stalked slightly closer, slipping briefly out of the shadows to get a better look. In the faint light from the moon, Amethyst caught the glint of a gun.

 

A sudden movement up ahead made her duck behind a nearby bush. She tried to silence her rushed breathing.  _ Ok, so that plan is out _ . She rubbed her injured arm, remembering the last time she had tangled with a gun. She didn’t intend to do that again anytime soon.

 

She peeked between the branches. One of the men had turned, cupping his hands around his mouth to yell at the top of his lungs. A moment later, two distant calls echoed through the woods in response.

 

“Gotcha,” she muttered.

 

Immediately, she dropped the first men’s trail, heading in the direction of the second shout.  _ Let’s see how many of you there are. _

 

\--

 

So far, she had tracked down four men in total, traveling in pairs about sixty yards apart. One of each pair seemed to be armed. They had been regularly calling out to each other at ten minute intervals, as well as to a third pair that she hadn’t located yet. 

 

Now she was scouring the trees for the last two men, checking the ground and surrounding brush to see if they had passed through ahead of her. Amethyst needed to find them soon - if her mental map was correct, they were moving in a loose semicircle just north of the cabin, headed southwest. The first two groups had passed it narrowly to the west, but the third group was right on track to stumble upon it at any moment.

 

She darted behind a stand of old pines, taking in the increasingly familiar surroundings nervously. Was she too late? Had they found it already?  _ Pearl _ .

 

Amethyst ran a few more yards before stopping behind some brush to catch her breath. She scanned the trees for the umpteenth time, again finding no sign of the third group of men. This didn’t make any sense. She squinted through the branches into the semi-darkness, although her eyes had long since adjusted. Surely she would’ve heard something if they had already made it to the cabin? Come to think of it, she could’ve sworn ten minutes had passed since the last shout.  _ So where the hell are… _

 

A strong arm clamped around her neck, cutting off her air. She grunted in surprise, gripping the arm fastened around her throat tightly as she stumbled to her feet. She backpedaled a bit and felt him take a step back.  _ Taller, but his stance is shit.  _

 

She held what little breath she had left, planting her feet solidly. With a twist she swung him off his feet, throwing her full weight backwards to slam him hard against a nearby tree. He hit it with a satisfying thud, letting out a sharp cry.

 

She spun around, already anticipating his partner’s attack. He had elected to ignore the gun slung behind his back in favor of a high tackle.  _ Mistake _ . She grabbed his shoulder by the collar and a fistful of his shirt, sidestepping the sloppy leap and flinging him into the same tree as his partner.

 

Amethyst had just watched him crumple to the ground when she heard several shouts, one right behind her, and something struck her on the back of the head. 

 

For a second she saw stars, and felt hot blood. Her vision was blurry, and she missed the next blow by a hair. She inhaled sharply, trying to focus. She had to deal with these two quickly; she could hear the others crashing through the forest. There was no way she could take four of them. She made a desperate swing at the figure swimming before her, felt a rush of relief as her fist landed solidly.

 

She barely had time to recovery before something hit the small of her back, hard. She fell, screwing her eyes shut against the underbrush that tore at her face and clothes. She was forced flat, belly to the ground.  _ Not a good position. _

 

She growled, struggling against the sudden weight pinning her down. She flung herself to one side with all her might, sensing her attacker overcompensate and let up a bit on the other. Rolling onto her left arm, she jerked back her right elbow where she estimated his face would be.

 

A familiar  _ crack _ told her his nose was broken. She rolled out from under him, grabbing his arm a she did so and spinning him onto his stomach. She had him pinned, shoulder wrenched behind his back, before she realized he had already passed out from the pain.

 

She took a moment to rest, breathing hard. She was grateful the adrenaline numbed most of the pain from her injuries. Her head ached from where the first guy must have hit her with his gun, and judging by the bloodied state of her arm, she guessed she had ripped her stitches. 

 

Amethyst sighed, struggling to her feet.  _ Just two more to go. _

 

Suddenly, her ears picked up the faint crunch of snow directly behind her. She spun around just in time to see a fist flying towards her face. Pain exploded behind her eyelids, and she blacked out.


	9. In Deep Shit

Through the dull, throbbing pain, Amethyst could faintly make out voices. They sounded distant, and she struggled to make out what they were saying beyond the fog of agony that had settled on her brain.

 

She felt like she was returning to her body. Gradually, she began to sense pain elsewhere too – in her arm, the entire right side of her face, not to mention the sting of countless cuts on her cheeks, arms, and anywhere else her skin was exposed.  Amethyst tried to shift; she was lying on something hard and cold - the ground? - and realized she couldn’t feel her hands. Her arms were twisted uncomfortably behind her.  _ What the fuck…? _

 

She forced herself to focus through the pain swimming behind her eyes.  _ Where am I? _

 

Her memory came flooding back. The men outside the cabin, the forest, the brawl – she winced, recalling the KO punch she took to the face.  _ And they’re not gonna be happy about what I did to them. _

 

She opened her eyes with effort. A fresh wave of agony washed over her. She groaned, screwing them shut again.

 

“Oh good, you’re awake. We were starting to get cold.”

 

She opened her eyes again, more slowly this time. The right one seemed to be slightly swollen, narrowing her vision, but she could see a group of men scattered around her. Four were seated on the ground. One was nursing a bloody, misshapen nose. Two others to the side of her had black eyes and a third looked a little worse for wear, but otherwise seemed unharmed. Amethyst couldn’t help taking a little pride in her work.

 

“What’s so funny?” A gruff voice asked somewhere above her.

 

She looked up. The last two men were looming above her. One was tall and stocky, the other shorter and scrawny-looking. She figured it was the larger one who had knocked her out cold, and he seemed to be the one who had just spoken.

 

“Well, for starters I don’t remember going to sleep tied up, so there’s that,” she snapped. She blinked, struggling to get her bearings. It was still dark, which was a good sign, although the stars seemed to be growing dim. She guessed it was about three or four in the morning.

 

The taller man grinned. “Just a precaution. Get used to it.”

 

_ Well, at least they don’t plan to kill me immediately _ , she thought bitterly. “Makes it hell to scratch your nose though,” she replied. 

 

_ Better to keep them talking. _ If she could befriend them, or at the very least distract them, there was still hope for coming out of this alive.

 

She scanned their surroundings, suddenly realizing they were only about a quarter mile from the road. It appeared that after the fight the men had retreated to their vehicles and more familiar terrain to recover. She felt relief flood through her. She had successfully diverted them away from the cabin, away from Pearl.  _ Pearl is safe _ .

 

“Now don’t think about escaping,” the man said amiably, catching the direction of her gaze. Amethyst didn’t like the way he was smiling. “We came here looking for some food and, well, now some medical supplies. I think you could help us with that.”

 

The other men were glaring at her; some had a grip on their guns. She had already ruled out the possibility of escape. For now, she would need to cooperate.

 

“Well, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m a bit tied up right now,” she replied, trying for a flippant tone.

 

“For safety,” the man assured her. “And besides, you don’t need your arms to walk.”

 

The smaller man now bent down, hauling Amethyst to her feet. She ignored the jagged pain in her arm where her stitches had ripped. Her vision swam. She steadied herself as best she could; she didn’t intend to let on how badly she was hurt.

 

“And where would I be walking, exactly?” she asked, feigning ignorance. “My car ran out of gas, and when I left to get help, I got lost in the snowstorm. I have no clue where we are.”

 

The scrawny man spoke now. “Nice try, but we saw smoke,” he sneered.

 

“And you went to an awful lot of trouble to hide an empty car that had run out of gas,” the taller one added. “In fact, we nearly drove right by it.”

 

Amethyst shrugged. “I dunno, seemed like a good idea at the time.”

 

The man smirked. “You’re funny, but unfortunately we’ve been low on food for a few days now. And, well -” abruptly, he drove his fist into her stomach full force. Amethyst buckled, the breath forced from her lungs. “- we’re a little desperate.”

 

She coughed, gasping for air. The scrawny man kept her upright with a vice grip on her arm, otherwise she would have crumpled to the ground.

 

“So either you cooperate, or we’ll convince you to,” he finished grimly.

 

Head bowed, Amethyst forced herself to think through the pain wracking her body as she fought to catch her breath.  _ I can’t let them get anywhere near Pearl, _ she thought desperately.

 

She took a few moments to recover, her mind racing. Finally, she looked up. “Fine,” she panted. “I’ll take you there.”

 

\--

 

Pearl paced the floor of the cabin as best she could with her pronounced limp. Amethyst had been gone for hours now. She checked the clock on the wall again, as though it could bring her partner back sooner. 5 am. Hastily she hobbled to one of the windows, searching the dark trees anxiously for Amethyst’s familiar outline.  _ Where could she possibly be? _

 

Every dire scenario had already run through Pearl’s mind a thousand times as she stood watch throughout the night. What if Amethyst had been taken? She must be freezing. What if she was lying somewhere hurt? Unconscious?  _ Or worse _ .

 

Pearl collapsed into the chair sitting by the window, resting her head in her hands. Her eyes burned, and her brain felt like lead. The last few days had drained her, but this was by far the worst. Up until now she had had Amethyst’s easy manner to guide her, her silent strength, the comfort of her proximity. She made Pearl forget how bad it really was, losing everything. Even at her worst, she had had Amethyst. Pearl couldn’t bear the thought of facing whatever was ahead without her partner at her side. She vowed if she could just get her back, she would never let Amethyst out of her sight again.

 

Frustrated, she shoved back the chair and got to her feet. Hopelessness wasn’t practical, and indulging her worst fears wouldn’t help her or Amethyst. She gingerly made her way to the table in the corner. Her search of the cabin had turned up several wilderness flares, among other things. Now she inspected one, considering her options.

 

If Amethyst was alone, if she had gotten lost wandering the woods or if she was hurt and disoriented, she would see the flare and know which direction to go. At the very least she could call out for help. If she wasn’t alone…  Pearl took a deep breath. Well, she would be ready.

 

Pearl looked down. The little orange tube felt good in her palm. She was relieved to be doing something, rather than sitting around anticipating the worst. Whoever saw the signal, whatever happened, at least Pearl was taking things into her own hands. She took another look around the room, evaluating her handiwork. Everything was in place.

 

She cast a nervous glance through the window to check that the coast was clear and slipped outside. The cold morning air made her shiver, and the outline of the surrounding trees was only just visible in the gray morning light. She walked a few feet from the cabin before unsheathing the flare and popping off the cap. She closed her eyes, pointing it towards the sky at arms’ length, and yanked on the string.

 

It erupted with a bang, ringing through Pearl’s ears. She was stunned by the momentary flash of heat and kickback. In seconds it reached about 300 feet and ignited in midair. It burned hot red, illuminating the dark sky for just under ten seconds before fizzling out.

 

Pearl nursed the mild burn on her hand, and quickly limped back to the cabin. This was a risky plan, but there was no turning back now. Not that she wanted to.  _ As long as Amethyst is alive _ ,  _ I can deal with anything that comes my way. _

 

\--

 

Amethyst could see the sky above them lightening through the leaves, and although the forest obstructed any view of the distance, she knew the sun was approaching the horizon. She could just make out the texture of the bark on the trees they passed, and gradually began to hear birds calling far above her head.

 

They had been trudging through the woods for about an hour now, in a non-specific direction that Amethyst only knew was opposite that of the cabin. Her hands were still bound behind her back, and the scrawny man kept a tight grip on her arm.  _ As though I could run _ , she thought bitterly. The larger man was only a few paces behind her, and although the rest kept their distance, they certainly weren’t about to let her out of their sight.

 

Hard as she tried, Amethyst had yet to come up with a plan. Instead she found her thoughts continually drifting back to Pearl. Was she all right? Had she tried to venture out, tried to find Amethyst with her injured ankle? She hoped that Pearl was still safe inside the cabin.  _ She must be so worried. _ Again, she wondered how she would ever get back. 

 

In lieu of a plan, she decided to stall. 

 

“So do you all have names, or do you just go by Ugly Goon number one, two, three et cetera?”

 

The scrawny man glowered at her. “Keep walking,” the taller man boomed, giving her a shove from behind. 

 

Amethyst waited a few minutes and then tried again, slowing her pace before coming to a full stop. She feigned confusion, looking from side to side at the surrounding wilderness. 

 

“I think I’m lost,” she said slowly.

 

“Like hell you are,” the small man snapped, tightening his grip on her arm. “We saw you skulking through the forest before. You know exactly -”

 

His sentence was cut off by a loud  _ BANG _ echoing through the trees. Seconds later a sudden light illuminated the gray sky; Amethyst looked up to see a flare fizzle bright red in midair for about ten seconds and die. Her heart sank.  _ No, Pearl. _

 

A barking laugh brought her eyes back to the ground, and the surrounding men. She turned to find the burly man grinning ear to ear.

 

“So, someone is looking for you,” he said. His lackey twisted Amethyst’s arm sharply behind her back. She resisted the urge to cry out. “What, you didn’t want us to find your friend?”

 

Amethyst gritted her teeth, ignoring the pain in her arm. “I came alone. Somebody else must be lost out here,” she tried.

 

“Who just happened to be carrying a wilderness flare?” the smaller man sneered.

 

“Lying isn’t going to save your friend now,” the taller man cut in. 

 

Already the others were walking in the direction of the flare. She ignored the smaller man's impatient tugging at her arm, urging her to follow. Instead she planted her feet solidly and looked down, refusing to make eye contact. She wasn't going to help them find Pearl, no matter what they did to her.

 

The small man shoved her roughly, but she didn't budge. A second, harder shove followed, and finally a swift kick to the back of her legs brought her to her knees. She landed hard, but still didn't raise her eyes from the dirt.

 

A rough hand grabbed her jaw. Her chin was forced upward until her gaze met that of the larger man. She had half expected to be staring down the barrel of a gun.

 

“You have one last chance to cooperate, for your friend's sake if not your own," the man said darkly. "I suggest you take it.”


	10. Jfc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while but here's a long one thanks for your patience

The men set off in the direction of the cabin, dragging Amethyst with them. She trudged along sullenly. Much as she hated to admit it, the man was right. They were bound to find the cabin one way or another, and when they did, she had to be there for Pearl.

 

The group stole through the trees quietly. The only sounds were the crunch of boots on snow and their labored breathing. When they reached the approximate area from which the flare seemed to have originated, four of the men crept ahead and fanned out. The small man lagged behind with Amethyst, still holding tightly onto her arm, and the larger one made it clear he didn’t intend to stray far from her side either.

 

Amethyst could try to make a break for it, but chances were she wouldn’t make it very far. Even if she could throw the shorter man, the larger one would run her down before she could make it to the cabin. Her options were bleak. She prayed Pearl had a plan, like she always did.  _ I sure hope you know what you’re doing, P. _

 

A few minutes later a triumphant yell announced that the scouts had finally located their hideout. Amethyst felt her heart sink for the second time that day, hanging her head as they walked towards the sound. She had tried to protect Pearl, and she had failed. Maybe, at least, Pearl would come without a fight. Amethyst couldn’t bear to see her get hurt.

 

“Don’t look so down,” the larger man gloated as the small log cabin came into view far up ahead. “Just cooperate, and we’ll take good care of you. I’m sure we can find room in the group for you and your friend. Especially if she’s as feisty as you.”

 

Amethyst looked up, catching the slant of his grin. A rush of disgust and rage made her blood boil. She broke free from the smaller man, hurling herself at the larger one and ramming him hard in the gut. It took both of them and two others who had just returned to subdue her.

 

“Very nice,” the larger man replied when he finally caught his breath. “Save that energy. You’re going to need it.”

 

She spat and lunged at him again, but two others held her back. Reluctantly, she was shoved forward as the group approached the slight slope leading to the cabin. When they crested the hill and were within plain sight of the windows, the leader motioned, and the men retired their weapons. Amethyst noted that oddly the windows and shutters had been thrown open, but the curtains were shut tight.

 

Two men still had a tight grip on Amethyst, and the large one towered at her side. They stopped a few yards from the little door. The leader gripped Amethyst’s shoulder hard - an unspoken warning.  _ Stay quiet. _ She glared at him, but, unwilling to put Pearl’s life at risk, she grudgingly obeyed.

 

The burly man took a step forward, forcing Amethyst to fall in step next to him.

 

Pearl’s voice rang out high and clear from somewhere within the cabin. “Stay where you are.”

 

The man stopped and raised his hands. “Your friend led us here. We’re just looking for some food, and some medical supplies,” he lied. “We’ll just tend to our people, and be on our way.”

 

There was a pause. Amethyst held her breath.  _ No way would Pearl fall for that. _ For a moment no sound came from within the cabin. Then Pearl called out again.

 

“Let her go, then we can talk.”

 

Amethyst saw the others begin to reach for their guns. The large man’s smile was tense. “Afraid I can’t do that,” he replied. “Not until you let us in so we can take care of our own first.”

 

_ Great, so that’s why they didn’t kill me. I’m a bargaining chip to get them inside _ , Amethyst thought. Her hands were still tightly bound behind her back, and she realized she and the cabin were completely surrounded. Pearl didn’t have much of a choice.

 

However, the woman’s voice betrayed nothing. “I’ll ask again. Let her go, and we’ll help you. Those are the terms.”

 

Now guns in hand, the men crept closer to the perimeter. Amethyst surged forward and opened her mouth to warn Pearl, but before she could utter a sound a hand clapped over her lips.

 

The tall man shook his head. “I’m sorry it had to be this way, but -”

 

A volley of shots sounded from the cabin, and Amethyst hit the ground as bullets thudded into the surrounding trees. She rolled onto her back, in time to see the men frantically retreating. The large man was scrambling to his feet. As he ran off, she noticed him gripping his shoulder, now coated in red, before he too disappeared into the woods. In a few minutes the men’s yells had grown faint, and not long after the sound of engines announced their departure.

 

\--

 

Pearl threw open the cabin door and limped outside so fast she nearly tripped. She collapsed next to Amethyst in the freezing snow, frantically rolling her onto her side to untie her hands.

 

Her partner looked awful. The front of her shirt was spattered with blood, and one eye was dark and swollen. Scratches covered her face and arms. From the amount of blood soaking her sleeve, Pearl guessed she had ripped her stitches as well.

 

“Oh my God, oh my God, Amethyst look at you,” Pearl cried, hands fluttering from her black eye to her bloody shoulder. “Oh my God what hap -”

 

Hands finally free, Amethyst pulled Pearl down into a rough kiss, rolling on top of her and pushing her into the snow. Pearl tensed in surprise, then surrendered to the other’s tender caresses, relaxing as the larger girl pressed against her. Amethyst’s hand rested on her cheek, thumb tracing her jaw gently, and Pearl sighed against her mouth.

 

Pearl had almost forgotten what she had been about to say, until the hand that had tangled into Amethyst’s hair lingered to a deep wound on the back of her head, and the butch flinched. Pearl immediately broke away.

 

“Amethyst, what’s gotten into you?” Pearl demanded. “You’re hurt! For heaven’s sake you’re bleeding! We have to get you some bandages immediately. Who knows how much blood you’ve lost from that head -”

 

“Don’t care,” Amethyst muttered, as her lips found Pearl’s again.

 

Pearl broke away, breathless but exasperated. “You need medical attention! I swear if I have to - what are you looking at?”

 

Amethyst still wasn’t paying any attention to Pearl’s admonishments. Instead she was staring down at her, cradling Pearl’s face with one hand.

 

“I thought I wasn’t gonna see you again,” Amethyst said softly.

 

Pearl sighed. “I should be mad at you,” she replied. She pushed a lock of hair behind Amethyst’s ear gently, scanning her partner’s face as though she couldn’t believe that she was really there. “But honestly I’m just glad you’re back.”

 

Amethyst smiled and leaned in again, but Pearl shoved her off. “If you don’t let me bandage your head in the next forty seconds I swear to God -”

 

“Okay, okay,” Amethyst laughed, holding her hands up defensively. “Just don’t shoot.”

 

Pearl rolled her eyes, but couldn’t suppress a surprised laugh as Amethyst bent down and scooped her up in her arms.

 

“Wait!” Pearl protested. “Your stitches! You should be resting that arm.”

 

“And you should be resting your ankle,” Amethyst countered, carrying her the last few yards to the cabin and kicking open the door. “Nice cast, by the way.”

 

Inside she set Pearl down gently and looked around, letting out a low whistle. “Love what you’ve done with the place.”

 

A series of hunting rifles were mounted on miscellaneous objects around the room, carefully hidden from the outside by curtains drawn over the windows. They seemed to be part of an elaborate system consisting of twine snaking from the triggers of each of the guns. They were set up two by each window, six in total.

 

“I figured they’d be armed, and I didn’t want a gunfight,” Pearl explained. “I thought it would be better to convince them they were outnumbered and outgunned so they’d retreat. It worked didn’t it?”

 

“Like a charm,” Amethyst replied.

 

She grunted as Pearl helped her onto the couch, and Pearl didn’t miss her slight wince as she tried to lay her head back. Pearl’s gaze flicked to each of her injuries in turn, taking note of Amethyst’s shallow breathing and the way her fists clenched at her sides. She was in more pain than she was letting on.

 

Pearl wasted no time getting water from the pump and setting it to boil on the little cook stove. She began rifling through the cabinets for medical supplies, careful to keep her expression neutral.

 

“Where have you been? What happened to you?” Pearl demanded.

 

“Tell ya later,” she drawled. “More importantly, where the hell did you find all the guns?” Amethyst asked.

 

“In a cabinet in the back. Must’ve been another renter’s hunting gear,” Pearl replied.  “Keep your shoulder still, and you can either take off that flannel or I’ll cut it off you.”

 

Amethyst smiled at her concerned scolding, obeying without protest. “And who taught you to shoot?” she needled.

 

Pearl scoffed, retrieving the medical supplies from a cabinet and turning back to the couch. She took a seat next to Amethyst, concentrating harder than necessary on sorting rags into a clean pile in front of her.

 

“I wasn’t trying to hit anyone if that’s what you mean,” she answered. “I was careful to aim far higher than necessary. Unless one of those men was eight feet tall, none of them had anything to worry about.”

 

“Well if you were aimin’ for no casualties, your calculations were a bit off,” Amethyst teased.  “You hit the big guy pretty bad in the shoulder. Not that I’m complaining.”

 

Pearl looked up from folding clean rags into a neat pile. “Well, I was holding one, you know.”

 

“You shot him?!” Amethyst yelled, sitting up abruptly.

 

“Keep still! You’re going to make the bleeding worse.”

 

Amethyst obeyed. “Did you seriously shoot him?” she pressed.

 

Pearl dropped her defensive demeanor for a moment, reaching over to trace Amethyst’s cheek, just below her darkened eye.

 

“I could see them all through the scope. I had a pretty good idea who did this to you,” she said, more softly than she intended. “And truthfully, I’d do it again.”

 

Suddenly she seemed to come back to herself and pulled away quickly. Brow furrowed, she returned to the rags, rendering her face unreadable. She ignored Amethyst who was now watching her carefully.

 

“So I guess your aim isn’t so bad after all,” Amethyst finally said.

 

Pearl smirked before rising to grab the now-boiling water off the stove. “I wouldn’t say that,” she replied. “After all, I was aiming for his head.”

 

She pretended to not to see the look of surprise on Amethyst’s face, declining to clarify whether or not she was joking.

 

\--

 

Finally the water cooled to a bearable temperature. Pearl situated herself behind the shorter woman and began gently cleaning the cut on the back of Amethyst’s head. It was covered by a mess of hair matted together with blood and dirt, making it difficult to see the severity of the injury itself. Pearl pursed her lips, nose wrinkling at the mess.

 

She soaked the rags one by one, running each through Amethyst’s wild mane before wringing it out over a bucket she had found by the fire. Her hands moved deftly as she worked. She forced herself to focus only on the task of cleaning the wound, careful not to think about how close she came to losing her partner.

 

Amethyst seemed intent to distract her with a combination of lighthearted banter and the retelling of her misadventures that night. Pearl listened, though she suspected she was leaving out several details. She only stopped her once.

 

“An’ after I sock the first guy, the fourth one hits me from behind an’ -”

 

“ _ Four _ men? Do you really expect me to believe you took on four people by yourself?” Pearl challenged.

 

Amethyst rested one hand over her heart and raised the other one in a mock pledge. “I swear it,” she insisted. “Go ahead, get me a Bible.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

“What, still don’t believe me?”

 

“On the contrary, I’m impressed. I’m beginning to think you could handle me after all.”

 

“I’d kick your ass in a fight,” Amethyst blustered.

 

Pearl grinned. “I didn’t say anything about a fight.”

 

She laughed as Amethyst sputtered in surprise. “As you were saying?” Pearl urged.

 

Amethyst continued, explaining how she led them on a wild goose chase through the woods up until they had caught sight of the flare. Pearl frowned at the rag she was wringing out, but she waited for Amethyst to finish.

 

“And they didn’t mind you pummeling the majority of their company and then leading them in the middle of nowhere?” Pearl asked, skepticism etched in her tone. “And what exactly was your plan, other than leading them away from here? How did you intend to escape had I not sent up the flare?”

 

Amethyst shrugged. “I made it back in one piece didn’t I? It worked out.”

 

“That wasn’t my question.”

 

Amethyst shifted uncomfortably. “S’no big deal,” she said quietly. “Who cares?”

 

“I do.”

 

At this Amethyst fell silent, and Pearl decided it was no use to press her. She had just about finished tidying the area around the wound anyway. She wrung out the last rag and set it down, then gingerly pushed aside Amethyst’s hair to inspect the damage.

 

She let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding and slumped forward, flooded with a confusing mix of horror and relief. She threw her arms around Amethyst’s middle and squeezed her tight, burying her face in the fat butch’s hair.

 

“It’s not too deep,” Pearl sighed. “You’re going to be fine.”

 

Amethyst grunted at the sudden affection. “’Course, P.,” she said gruffly. “Don’t worry. They didn’t get me bad.”

 

Pearl grumbled to herself darkly - “should’ve shot more of them” - but with quick hands, she had the gash dressed in minutes.

 

She moved on to Amethyst’s arm, which thankfully had been protected from the elements by her sleeve. Amethyst sat through it stoically, only letting out a few pained noises now and again. In no time this was freshly stitched and bandaged as well.

 

Finally, Pearl reclined and stretched. Her back and neck were aching, and she was exhausted. Only now did she notice the sun had begun to stream through the curtains. The windows still stood open, occasionally sending a cold breeze through the cabin.

 

“What time is it?” she yawned.

 

Amethyst glanced at the clock. “Seven am.”

 

“All right, let me just treat your cuts, then we can finally get some sleep,” Pearl mumbled.

 

“Not a chance,” Amethyst retorted. She was already on her feet, struggling to close the windows with her one good arm. “You look like you’re about to pass out. We’re going to sleep now.”

 

Pearl rose to help her. For once she didn’t protest. The adrenaline had long since worn off, and she felt like she was going to drop any minute. The stress of last night and this morning, combined with the lack of food and sleep over the past few days, was finally beginning to getting to her. Her feet felt as heavy as her eyelids, and she found herself leaning slightly on Amethyst as they trudged to the bedroom.

 

She collapsed on the bed, not bothering to remove her clothes. Strong arms wrapped around her, and then she felt herself being pulled onto Amethyst’s chest. The last thing Pearl remembered was being enveloped in Amethyst’s familiar smell, her head rising and falling with her slow breaths. In seconds, she drifted into a sound sleep.

 


	11. Wth

Pearl awoke to sunbeams drifting lazily across rough-hewn rafters above her head. She closed her eyes, then opened them once more. Her nose was filled with the scent of pine, and the sound of birdsong drifted in from outside. For a moment she almost forgot where she was.

 

Almost. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, suddenly tired as the memories of the last few days returned in a rush. So much had happened in so little time, far too much to process. She laid there for a while, contemplating just remaining in that spot forever as though nothing had happened. Maybe she could pretend it was just another lazy morning like any other, like the world outside was continuing on as usual.

 

Soft snores beside her drew her attention from her thoughts. She rolled over and was greeted by the sight of Amethyst, mouth wide open, snoring deeply in a sound sleep. Her thick hair was splayed across the pillow like a dark sea, and the morning light falling across her face lit her dark eyelashes, highlighting her round cheeks and the tip of her snub nose. Pearl smiled at the sight.

 

She snuggled close against Amethyst’s side, draping an arm over her belly. As she watched the slow rise and fall of Amethyst’s chest with each shallow breath, she idly wondered how her world had changed so rapidly. How the past few days had somehow brought her here to this moment, so far from anything she had known, taking comfort in watching this woman –her partner, she realized, perhaps in more ways than one– sleep.

 

So little time…yet Amethyst’s smell, her warmth, the rough rasp of her voice, were quickly becoming more familiar to Pearl than her own past life. _The one good thing…_

 

Idly Pearl debated whether to wake her up to check on her injuries, but ultimately decided against it. After their ordeal last night, Amethyst needed rest. So Pearl remained beside her, letting the rhythmic drone of Amethyst’s snores and the sounds of the forest drifting through the window lull her into a relaxed stupor.

 

She wasn’t sure how much time passed until Amethyst finally stirred, eyes fluttering open. She groaned.

 

“Welcome back,” Pearl joked warmly.

 

Amethyst sat up slightly, sheepishly swiping a hand across her face to wipe away the drool. She rolled onto her side to face Pearl, wrapping an arm around her waist.

 

“G’mornin,’ pierogi,” she muttered. Her voice was gravelly with sleep. Pearl liked the sound of it. “How’d ya sleep?”

 

“Fine. Which is nothing short of miraculous considering you snore like a bear.”

 

Amethyst yawned wide. “Well, you hog the pillow like a queen.”

 

Pearl was about to retort, but couldn’t suppress a giggle as Amethyst wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

 

“You’re lucky I like you,” Pearl warned.

 

“Don’t I know it,” Amethyst said.

 

For a moment they were silent. Amethyst shifted uncomfortably, and Pearl caught her wincing. She realized she was lying on her injured arm.

 

“Amethyst, you shouldn’t lie on your stitches! Here, let me get you something to -” but Amethyst cut her off with a wave of her hand.

 

“Don’t worry about it, P.,” she drawled. “Besides, I got everything I need right here.”

 

Pearl looked up to find Amethyst’s gaze on her. Her dark brown eyes seemed to warm the light that hit them, and she was looking at her so lovingly that Pearl was suddenly at a loss for words.

 

“If you insist,” Pearl finally managed with effort. What had gotten into her? Her cheeks had no right to heat up like that.

 

Amethyst laughed. “You’re pretty cute when you blush,” she teased.

 

“Shut up,” Pearl bit back. But she couldn’t help reaching out, running a loving hand down Amethyst’s chest and over the gentle slope of her belly. “I can’t even imagine how I manage to put up with you, you big, beautiful, stubborn, reckless -” she sputtered, not quite finding the sharp retort she had intended.

 

“Haven’t heard a single insult yet, P.,” Amethyst chuckled.

 

Then Pearl was surrounded by a dark curtain of hair as Amethyst reached over and found her lips.

 

She had to remind herself to breathe, though Amethyst was anything but smothering. Her lips were clumsy and thick with sleep, and Pearl’s heart fluttered lightly after each lazy kiss. Amethyst was slow, deliberate, yet Pearl could hardly catch her breath.

 

She felt familiar, inevitable somehow, but also entirely new. Pearl couldn’t quite describe it, and she was struggling to focus on anything other than the bliss rushing to her head as she fumbled to meet Amethyst’s mouth again and again. All she knew was that the cabin, the forest, everything was melting together into a single feeling, until Amethyst tasted like a sun-drenched morning where the world had slowed to a stop.

 

Amethyst tested Pearl’s lips, then pressed further until she was rewarded with a soft moan. Pearl felt a shock run through her, and she clenched at Amethyst’s shirt to keep herself grounded. She was solid, sure. Pearl was losing all sense of time and place, was only aware of Amethyst’s touch. Her fingers were curious, hesitant but achingly earnest, dragging down her ribs. Pearl was overwhelmed with the urge to feel her too. Her hands traveled over Amethyst’s shoulders and slid down her back, pausing at the hem of her shirt. Without once leaving her lips, Amethyst hiked her flannel up as best she could with her bad arm, allowing Pearl’s hands to slip underneath.

 

Pearl marveled at how soft she was. She lingered on her shoulders, enjoying the pull of hard muscle before trailing down her supple sides. She let her fingers wander freely over Amethyst’s back, tracing gentle patterns on her skin that made the other girl shiver.

 

Amethyst paused to shift on top of her with a soft “s’okay?” and with a nod from Pearl had already begun testing the sensitive skin of her neck when her stomach let out a low growl.

 

Pearl broke away reluctantly. “Wait a second, when was the last time you ate?” she asked, suddenly concerned.

 

Amethyst groaned. “Pearlllll,” she began.

 

“No, we’re getting you something to eat, right now,” Pearl insisted. She had already flung back the covers and was sliding out of bed before Amethyst could stop her.

 

“I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of it before,” Pearl scolded herself under her breath. “I was so caught up in the excitement last night I didn’t even _think_ …”

 

Amethyst gave up. She begrudgingly propped herself up and swung her legs off the bed. “I think it’s only fair that I get to choose my next meal,” she grumbled.

 

Pearl finished brusquely running her fingers through her short hair and adjusting her rumpled clothing, then turned back to Amethyst with a smile.

 

“Don’t worry,” Pearl reassured her. She strode over to where Amethyst was struggling to pull on her jeans, shoving her gently back against the pillows and leaning in for another deep kiss. She pulled away after only a few seconds, but lingered over Amethyst’s mouth a moment longer.

 

“To be continued,” she promised. With that she spun on her heel and strode out of the room, the smallest smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

 

Amethyst remained where she was for a moment, stunned, still staring after Pearl. Then she flopped on her back, letting out a groan loud enough for Pearl to hear from the other room.

 

“You’re killing me, P.”

 

\--

 

Amethyst finally roused herself and struggled unceremoniously pull on her jeans. She hopped around the room on one leg, almost stumbling over the small nightstand. _Fuck._ This whole ‘trying to maneuver with one arm’ thing was getting old fast. Not to mention her head was pounding like someone was swinging a hammer against the inside of her skull.

 

Eventually she got her pants on and stumbled into the main room, where she was immediately revived by the smell of food.

 

“You can cook!” Amethyst groaned in mock relief, slouching into one of the chairs at the tiny table. “We’re saved!”

 

“Oh, honestly, no need to be so dramatic,” Pearl replied, rolling her eyes. “They’re just pancakes.”

 

“Good ‘nuf for me,” Amethyst replied. She took a swipe at the plate of steaming pancakes in front of her, but Pearl was quicker. She snatched it up, reprimanding Amethyst with a gentle swat from the spatula.

 

“I’m almost finished,” she chided. She carried the plate back to the little woodstove where a pan was resting next to a bowl of batter. Amethyst looked longingly after the breakfast, but found her gaze wandering to Pearl instead.

 

She stood by the little cook stove, framed in the light piercing through the curtains which surrounded her in a soft glow. The sun lit the tips of her golden eyelashes and washed over the long curve of her nose. It tinged her pale skin gold, accentuating the harsh, brilliant blue of her eyes, which were intently fixed on pouring another scoop of batter into a greased pan before her. Amethyst was captivated by the sight.

 

Amethyst shook her head in disbelief. _Damn._ She was breathtaking. Light pink hair ruffled with sleep and still clad in just a flannel, Pearl was nonetheless stunning. She was tall, which was only exacerbated by the way she held herself – upright, collected, everything about her masterfully controlled. Even her movements seemed measured, precise, embellished with the grace only a dancer can command.

 

Amethyst was mesmerized by the way the spatula spun in her hands as she expertly flipped each pancake in one quick, fluid motion, fingers fluttering delicately or paused expectantly in midair. The borrowed flannel hung loosely around her narrow frame, but somehow it did nothing to obscure her elegance. In fact it didn’t do much to obscure anything. It was hard not to notice that was all she was wearing.

 

Amethyst indulged in a brief once over, feeling a familiar pull in her gut. Ugh, fuck. _I’m so fucking gay._ She couldn’t quite explain how exactly this gorgeous woman had wound up in her cabin, cooking breakfast, but somehow it didn’t seem all that important. Point was, she was here somehow, and God, Amethyst _wanted_ her.

 

“Save your appetite for the food,” Pearl snarked, catching the direction of Amethyst’s gaze. Amethyst blushed, but was immediately distracted by the heaping plate of pancakes placed in front of her. Suddenly remembering the hollow feeling in her stomach, she set to work shoveling most of the pile into her mouth at once.

 

“Amethyst! For heaven’s sake!” Pearl cried.

 

“Wfhut?” Amethyst asked, mouth full.

 

Pearl shook her head, exasperated. She took a seat in the crude chair across from her partner, and began carefully cutting up the single pancake on her own plate.

 

Amethyst forced down the enormous mouthful she had only half-chewed. “Is that all you’re gonna eat?” she prodded.

 

“I don’t eat very much,” Pearl answered, picking at her food. “I know, it’s…weird.”

 

“ _Eso si que es_ ,” Amethyst shrugged.

 

Pearl’s brows knit together. “You speak Spanish?” she asked incredulously.

 

“Uhhh duh, P.,” Amethyst said, rolling her eyes. “And newsflash, we ain’t exactly the same shade, in case you hadn’t noticed that either.”

 

 “No I know that, it’s just…” she shook her head, laughing slightly. “I’m fa– I’m involved with you, and I hardly know anything about you.”

 

Amethyst shrugged. “What’s there to know?”

 

Pearl shrugged, casting about for a suitable question. “I’m not entirely sure,” she admitted. “Everything seems so…unimportant now, given the circumstances.”

 

Amethyst continued eating while Pearl thought. Answering questions about herself didn’t seem half as interesting as the food sitting in front of her.

 

“Well,” Pearl began. “Okay…are you gay?”

 

Amethyst looked up at Pearl like she had grown a second head. “That’s it?” she asked incredulously. “That’s the million-dollar question?” Pearl shrugged.

 

“P., if those men hadn’t shown up last night, hell, even just this morning, do you know how many ways I would have–”

 

“That’s not what I meant!” Pearl interrupted hastily. “No need to be so crude. I just mean, you could be a lesbian or bi or…”

 

Amethyst snorted. “I get it, I get it,” she replied. “Yeah I’m gay as all hell. You?”

 

“Same,” Pearl answered. She sighed. “You’re right, that wasn’t a very good question.”

 

She bit her lip as she thought, which Amethyst found cute. She finished the last of her breakfast while she waited for PEarl. Finally, Pearl huffed in defeat.

 

“I don’t know,” she said. “You tell me something about yourself.”

 

“Well, I enjoy long walks on the beach –”

 

“Fine!” Pearl grumbled. “You ask me something.”

 

Amethyst pretended to consider for a moment before gesturing to Pearl’s neatly sliced pancake.

 

“D’you also cut your pizza with a knife and fork? Because if so this isn’t gonna work.”

 

Pearl threw up her hands. “Why can’t you take anything seriously?” she demanded.

 

“Why do you have to take everything so seriously?” Amethyst countered, bristling slightly at her tone. She didn’t enjoy being scolded like a misbehaving child.

 

“Somebody has to,” Pearl sniffed, crossing her arms defensively. “And I don’t suppose that would be _you_.”

 

“Whyzat?” Amethyst challenged. She could feel herself heating up. “Just because I’m not little miss perfect?”

 

“All I asked is that you just take…this –” Pearl gestured vaguely at their surroundings. “ –seriously! Is that too much to ask?”

 

“Well I’m _so_ sorry I couldn’t meet your impeccable standards,” Amethyst bit back. “Why did you stay with me then, if you can’t stand being around some irresponsible, sloppy trucker?”

 

“I didn’t say that!” Pearl sputtered. “I just don’t think it’s too much to expect some maturity!”

 

In response Amethyst puffed out her cheeks and cooed like a baby.

 

Pearl flushed bright red. “Ugh! You’re insufferable!” she snapped. With a heave she shoved her chair back and got to her feet.

 

“Well you’re unbearable!” Amethyst yelled to her departing back. Pearl ignored her and marched into the bedroom.

 

As soon as she said it, regret settled in Amethyst’s belly like a rock. _Terrific._ She rested her head in her arms. Somehow she had managed to piss off the only person in a ten mile radius, with whom she just so happened to be sharing a tiny cabin for the entirety of the foreseeable future. _Nice going._

 

She looked up, but saw no movement from the bedroom. She hadn’t expected to. Well. She wasn’t about to apologize yet. She could grudgingly admit she might be difficult to be around, but Pearl had no right to treat her like a child. She’d been doing all right before Pearl had come along. She didn’t need a babysitter; she could handle herself just fine. And the last thing she needed was Pearl’s constant reproach. What was Pearl’s deal anyway? So what if she doesn’t give a fuck – although Amethyst knew that wasn’t entirely true – what business was that of Pearl’s? She might be reckless but she wasn’t about to get them killed.

 

And who the hell did Pearl think she had shacked up with anyway? Pearl hardly knew her. What right did she have to call her immature?

 

Amethyst clenched her fists, still seething at the thought. Ugh. This wasn’t helping. She needed to blow off some steam. She kicked back her chair, only pausing to tug on her boots before storming outside and slamming the door.


End file.
